Discrimination of transgenders is a huge problem and a constant discussion in the United States right now. Transgender individuals experience discrimination during the hiring process and if they are hired, the discrimination continues. Many people fail to use the correct pronouns with a transgender individual and some refuse to respect the wishes of the individual. Many transgender individuals fear being outed at work, an act that has lead to being fired for some. In 2015, it is reported that 16 percent were unemployed and 28 percent were living in poverty. That is worse than the average for Arizona. When looking at transgender individuals of color, the numbers increase because of the added discrimination of race. It is legal in the state of Arizona to discriminate against a person because of their gender identity. 

The following are results from the 2015 Arizona Transgender Survey found on AZ Central.

​15 Percent of respondents who reported having lost at least one job because of their gender identity

16 Percent of respondents who were unemployed

21 Percent of respondents employed in the past year who said they were forced to use a restroom that did not match their gender identity at work; were told to present as the wrong gender in order to keep their jobs; or had a boss or coworker share private information about their transgender status without permission

28 Percent of respondents living in poverty
28 Percent of respondents employed in the last year who reported being harassed, denied a promotion or fired based on gender identity or expression during that year

32 Percent of respondents who had been homeless
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68 Percent of respondents who said their ID documents did not match their preferred name and gender, a common obstacle during the job-application process

The South Dakota legislature has sent a ‘License to Disriminate’ bill to the governor for signing. The bill, SB 149 would enshrine taxpayer-funded discrimination into state law by allowing state-funded adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ youth in their care and to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster parents based on the agency’s purported religious beliefs.
Thursday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) joined the ACLU of South Dakota in urging South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard to veto the bill  describing it as discriminatory legislation targeting LGBTQ people and other minorities.
“We implore Governor Daugaard to veto this legislation. This proposal grants state-funded adoption agencies a license to discriminate, harming children in needs of families by rejecting a wide range qualified prospective parents including LGBTQ parents and by acting against the best interest of LGBTQ youth in the agency’s care,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “Last year, when Governor Daugaard vetoed HB 1008, he stood on the right side of history and protected transgender children. He must do the same now. This legislation puts discrimination ahead of the best interests of more than a thousand children in South Dakota waiting for a loving home.”
“The governor’s veto of HB 1008 put South Dakota on the right side of history, but Senate Bill 149 is a harmful and discriminatory piece of legislation that sets South Dakota backward. This would allow state-funded child placement agencies, based on their religious beliefs, to discriminate against children and prospective parents. Loving, qualified families could be turned away simply because they are LGBT, of a different faith than the agency, or divorced. The hundreds of children who are awaiting forever families in our state deserve better than this. Their best interests should be our priority, not the religious beliefs of these agencies,” said ACLU of South Dakota Policy Director Elizabeth A. Skarin. “We hope that Governor Daugaard recognizes the harm that discriminatory laws like SB 149 cause our state and considers a veto. If SB 149 becomes law, we want to hear from you or any child or family you know that is harmed. We will be examining our legal options.”
Last year, Governor Daugaard vetoed HB 1008, legislation that attacked the rights of transgender children in public schools by attempting to force them to use restrooms and other facilities inconsistent with their gender identity. Daugaard said that meeting with transgender students in his state “put a human face” on the legislation’s potential effect, and helped him to see things “through their eyes.”
SB 149 would allow state-licensed and taxpayer-funded child-placement agencies to disregard the best interest of children, and turn away qualified South Dakotans seeking to care for a child in need — including LGBTQ couples, interfaith couples, single parents, married couples in which one prospective parent has previously been divorced, or other parents to whom the agency has a purported religious objection. There are an estimated 1,174 children in South Dakota’s foster care system. The measure would even allow agencies to refuse to place foster children with members of their own extended families — a practice often considered to be in the best interest of the child. A qualified, loving LGBTQ grandparent, for example, could be deemed unsuitable under the proposed law.  It would also allow agencies to refuse to provide appropriate medical and mental health care to LGBTQ children if the agency has a purported moral or religious objection to providing those services. Shockingly, under SB 149, an agency couldn’t lose its license or contract as a result of subjecting a child to abusive practices like so-called conversion therapy if it claimed such “therapy” is compelled by religious belief.
Leading local pediatricians and legal experts, as well as the Adoption Exchange, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Association of Social Workers and Voices for Adoption sent letters to South Dakota legislators expressing their concern about SB 149.
Research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, as many have been rejected by their families of origin because they are LGBTQ. These young people are already vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment while in foster care, and SB 149 would only exacerbate the challenges they face.

LGBTQweekly.com.