Public Opinion on Workplace Protections Based on Gender Identity
According to a 2007 survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., 72 percent of Americans agree that "fairness is a basic American value and employment decisions should be based solely on qualifications and job performance, including for transgender people." Younger respondents — aged 18 to 29 — went even further, with 82 percent supporting equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
| Age | 18-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70+ | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairness is a basic value | 82% | 73% | 73% | 74% | 66% | 67% | 72% |
Support for equal job protections and opportunities for transgender workers has been sound over the past several years; a 2002 Hart study found then that 59 percent of Americans favored implementing laws to prevent employment discrimination against transgender people.
Coworkers
In a 2005 Harris Interactive poll, 60 percent of heterosexual respondents stated that they would feel comfortable working with an openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender co-worker. Just as knowing someone who is gay, lesbian or bisexual makes a person more inclined to support non-discrimination policies based on sexual orientation, knowing a transgender person is associated with more positive feelings toward transgender people, according to this poll.