Nevada joins 14 other states in protecting transgendered employees

The Daily Record Newswire Transgendered individuals are now protected from employment discrimination in the state of Nevada under new legislation signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval. Nevada joins Washington, D.C. and 14 other states (including Massachusetts, which passed a similar law in February) in enacting legislation to protect employees based on gender expression or identity. The law - which narrowly passed the state Senate in May by an 11 to 10 vote - added "gender expression and identity" to existing state discrimination law, which already includes protected categories of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability and national origin. It is now illegal for an employer "to fail or refuse to hire or fire or otherwise discriminate" against a worker based on gender identity or expression, which is defined by the law as "gender-related identity, appearance, expression or behavior of a person, regardless of the person's assigned sex at birth." Employers with less than 15 employees are exempt under the legislation. Published: Thu, Jun 9, 2011