Transgender Rights and the Law
The transgender community is a marginalized group. Even their right to use public restrooms have been a heated topic of debate. According to the 2015 Trans Survey, transgender people face a large number of obstacles in reaching for equality, including:
- High rates of suicide
- High rate of homelessness
- High rates of unemployment and job discrimination
- High rates of targeted violence
With those rates of violence and discrimination, it’s not difficult to gather that there are aspects of family law that pose their own complications.
Ensuring an individual’s identified gender is on their birth certificate, driver’s licenses, social security cards, and even passports can be important to avoid being “outed” in the workplace. More important still, being correctly gendered on official documents can be an important way to prevent violence.
Within divorce, parenting time, and paternity, being transgender can come with it’s own struggles. A person’s transition can bring contention from the other party, whether spouse or co-parent. Parenting rights are threatened often, citing mental instability or immorality in general, and using outdated, biased references when doing so.
Having a skilled attorney as an advocate when transitioning can not only make the navigation process that much smoother, it can help to ensure safety and rights.
