By D’André Hillman/reporter
Born male, speaker Erin Roberts told NE Campus students she was unjustly fired in July from the health insurance company she worked for. She said she thinks it’s because she became transgender.
“There’s a lot of people out there who are transgender and are scared to lose everything if they come out,” she said.
During her speech titled Job Discrimination Affects Homelessness Oct. 17, Roberts showed research on the treatment of transgender people.
The survey indicated that 19 percent were homeless because of their gender, 15 percent had been harassed at work and 26 percent had lost their jobs.
NE student Jon Soekamto said he was surprised at the amount of discrimination and believes work should be based on performance.
Transgender people were also denied health care in some cases, and some doctors refuse to treat them, Roberts said.
She said 24 percent of transgender people were denied equal treatment in the hospital or doctor’s office.
Roberts thinks her friend was also fired from her job because she’s transgender, but the friend soon found another job that paid 60 percent less.
Roberts said she has a master’s in business and couldn’t get a job as a bartender’s assistant or a career in her field of study.
“I was a white male … I had a privilege I didn’t know I had,” she said.
As a woman, she said she believes she can’t get a job now.
However, 91 jurisdictions protect gender identity, and many organizations support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Roberts said she has always been a supporter for rights.
“I never turned down an opportunity to humanize,” she said.
