In Charlottesville, Virginia, transgender people are being denied jobs simply due to their gender identity. In the state of Virginia, it is legal to deny or fire someone from their job because they are transgender.

Jacob Haley is a transgender man living in Charlottesville. He has applied to over a dozen jobs already, but none of them accepted him. Feeling defeated and depressed, Jacob has stopped trying to find jobs in Charlottesville because he feels no employers will hire him.

Roxanne Barreto was in a job interview and was asked why her previous name was stated on her resume. She informed them that she was transgender, to which the employer immediately stopped the interview and told her she would not be hired due to her gender identity.

Transgender people face constant discrimination in many different aspects of their lives. Virginia has not put into place any laws to protect transgender people from this injustice.

We are making this petition to encourage the state of Virginia to enact an anti-discrimination law to give gender non-conforming citizens equal opportunity and ensure their safety. By signing this petition you will be bringing the issue of discrimination based on gender identity in Virginia to the attention of William J. Howell, Tommy Norment, and David Toscano.