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“It's an ongoing issue that we have to address as a society,” Callahan said of the hiring discrimination trans law enforcement officers face. This has caused some transgender officers - many of whom are trying to address inequities from within - to face pressure from both sides. Even if they can, many can’t afford to take legal action.Ĭomplicating matters is the historically fraught relationship between law enforcement and the LGBTQ community. But outside of that, it’s incredibly difficult for trans people to prove they’ve faced hiring discrimination. TCOPS is trying to do its part by providing training and policy templates to departments in the hopes that this educational material can help address the biases and misinformation that lead to discrimination. Trans people face disproportionate employment discrimination generally, and she said law enforcement, which she described as a relatively conservative field, is no exception. Hamilton’s experience isn’t unique, said Julie Callahan, a former law enforcement officer in San Jose, California, and the founder of the Transgender Community of Police and Sheriffs, a peer support group for trans law enforcement officers. The department declined additional comment. “The decision not to move forward with the applicant in question did not involve any discrimination against the individual as a member of a protected group,” the statement read in full. The New Orleans Police Department issued a statement in May. His attorney, Chelsea Cusimano, said the EEOC has since opened an investigation. In May, Hamilton filed a federal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging hiring discrimination. Image: Britton Hamilton (Britton Hamilton)