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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - In recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility, the Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department and its Transgender Advisory Council hosted a virtual job fair today for transgender and nonbinary people, connecting more than 60 participants with 12 employers.
``We are thrilled at the overwhelming support for our first job fair, this tells us that this is a much-needed service and we need to keep going,'' said Transgender Advisory Council member Eden Anai Luna, who also serves as the Program Manager at the LA LGBT Center's Transgender Economic Empowerment Project.
``Employers today are now more aware of the severe socioeconomic disadvantages which trans and nonbinary people face every day -- and the valuable contributions which we bring to the workforce.''
LA Civil Rights cited a national survey that said trans and non-binary people face unemployment at twice the rate of the general population, and trans workers are almost four times more likely to have a household income of under $10,000. Trans and non-binary workers also face increased harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
``Even during a labor shortage, we know that qualified transgender and non-binary applicants are not getting hired or are being mistreated at work,'' said LA Civil Rights Executive Director Capri Maddox.
``We hosted this job fair with our Transgender Advisory Council to get LA employers trained on creating inclusive workplaces and to expand upward mobility and gainful employment for our trans and non-binary community.''
The job fair included the employers Project Q; Project Angel Food; Beautycounter; Housing Rights Center; The FBI Los Angeles Bureau; Thomas Safran & Associates; Conrad Hotels; Empowering Families Inc.; UCLA Center for LGBTQ Advocacy, Research, and Health; The AMAAD Institute; and Sender One Climbing.
Participating job seekers were also given free resume preparation services and interview skills training.