Interview with Lauren Jansen
HRC: I’m here today with Lauren Jansen, who worked for 24 years at an equipment company in Iowa. For her whole life, Lauren knew she was meant to be a woman, even though she was born a man. In 2003, Lauren began to transition from male to female under the guidance of her doctors. Although she was an exemplary employee, Lauren was fired for nothing more than her gender. Lauren, tell us about the job you held for 24 years.
Lauren: I was the Parts Department manager for a construction equipment dealer. In that, I was responsible for ordering parts for customers, inventory — anything that had to do with the Parts Department.
HRC: Tell us about talking with your bosses about your transition.
Lauren: I originally spoke with my local branch manager, and also with the corporate parts department manager. I explained to them my situation and tried to lay the groundwork for a nice, smooth transition. And both of those individuals indicated that they had no problems with this. There was even a suggestion that maybe I would transfer to another store — another location within the company — leave my store in Iowa as Larry, and arrive at another location as Lauren. Then it went up the ladder, and there was one individual who had the power to say no — and they fired me just for my gender.
HRC: How did you find out you were being fired?
Lauren: I was called back to work after hours one evening. They explained to me that this higher-up individual had decided that this wasn’t going to work for the company, and that if I intended to continue, I would be fired. This was on the 15th of December. And they gave me time off, which I’d already taken, to decide whether I was going to continue. When I walked back in the door the first of January, they said, “Don’t bother taking your coat off. You’re being fired.”
HRC: What was the reaction of your co-workers?
Lauren: I wasn’t allowed to talk to them. The only one that I have ever talked to since then was one of the secretaries who worked there. She thought it was ridiculous.
HRC: Why do you think it’s important for federal law to protect transgender people from job discrimination?
Lauren: Because of individuals such as this one person. Everyone told me, even when I was being fired, that I was an excellent worker. That my department was making money — it was one of the few that had shown an increase in sales within the corporation. So it was nothing related to my work. It was purely one individual’s distaste. And that took me, as a taxpayer, out of the taxpaying role — and it had nothing to do with my ability to do the job. Somewhere, somehow, we need to be able to be protected. Everyone else is. If I can make a company money, why can’t I work for them?