Mara Keisling the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equity presented about the privacy and identity issues faced by Transgender people.
Identification Documentation
What is important for that about transpeople? – It is mportant what it says and also what it refers to. For example my passport says – ‘this passport says that this was changed for male to female’
Why does this matter because the revelation of one’s transgenderness is a risk – that we know of in the US one transgender person per month is murdered. Violence is a issue.
There are economic consequences to be outed at work or as part of a job interview and fired or not given job in the first place. In San Francisco – over 50% were unemployed or had fragile employment.
The REAL ID ACT is a problem.
It has not been implemented yet but what is very obvious consistent ID documentation is hard to get – for low income people, transgender, homeless people, immigrants. It will make it increasingly difficult.
The data is interconnected across ALL law enforcement.
It mandates certain things be on the front it.
Gender is required.
The fact of name change required – obvious that they changed name from say Mark to Mara.
Will Fact of gender change will be required? It likely will be in database. Along with surgical records – will end up in database. This means it outs transgender people every time interact with law enforcement.
It also means any time one’s ID is checked electronically to get into a bar for a drink it will out people. This is not a big deal in a big city is it s BIG deal in small towns.
Travel
It is difficult. I have friends who say “‘you travel’ – you are willing to fly?”
The TSA currently has no policy specific to transgender people and their frisking at airports.
They do have policy regarding how they are to interact with ‘helper monkeys’ (seeing eye dogs etc.) TSO’s are not aloud to touch your helper monkey’s.
At the very least they would like guidelines for searching.
It is difficult to get a passport. They almost always require you to present proof of gender change with the presentation of surgical records. However almost none have genital surgery – they estimate only 5% the reason is that there are many contra indications (HIV status, age, pulminary issues) and it is very expensive.
There is no security interest in labeling as me as a male. They are going to have a hard time finding me…(she presents as female).
It is a privacy violation to have ‘surgery letter.’
Scatterback x-ray machines “strip” naked and covers gender. This security measure is creepy for everyone – creepy and dangerous for transgender people.
Employment Verification
Mapping all these databases – to monitor so the SSN administration sends ‘no match’ letters – new employee…is this person eligable to work. This is supposed to just be for name or social security number. However there s an Optional data-field in this database and they can end up with ‘non-match’ letters because of gender basically – “you think lily is a woman – we think Lily is man”
An example she gave was heart breaking. A man was working at as a Steelworker for 20 years. The company he worked for ran all its people through the process you do with SSN administration and his supervisor came out in front of the crew that he worked with on a daily basis and said “Social Security says your a woman.”
He quit his job and wondered if he was going to have to find a new job every quarter because of this.
Employers with a large number of employees can do this via computer but small employers who do this via the phone – the operators are taught to ask for gender to enhance the match.
Health Privacy
Transgender people are turned away from hospitals all the time
A passing (not out) trasngender nursing student in florida as part of their training they were given specific information about what to do for man and women in certain situations. She asked
“What do you do with transgender people? are there any special considerations?” The trainer said “When I was in ER in New York we just let those people die.” You can be murdered because of your transgenderness in the health system.
Prescription records – many transgender people have histories that out them. Old data remnants matched with my old self with my new self (estrogen taking).
RFID
Freaked out about this passports because of information that will be shared. I don’t want this to flash on every screen when cross boarders.
Clothing that is worn or bought what if was from a credit card that I got got when male.
Data Permanence
Examples given.
Said in front of city council – I am a man with no penis. It was written up by the Philadelphia Inquirer – now when you google this person this is the first hit. it will be there forever.
Susan Stantant – Fired as city manager in Florida. Someone commented in the paper that now shows up in google “because she is taking estrogen no longer get erections”.
A woman was fired because court transcripts of parents custody battle from when she 10 years old. Someone else had fraudulently used her SSN and there for she was a ‘high security risk’ and denied her job.
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