就业中的性别认同歧视:美国经验及启示

Gender Identity Employment Discrimination: Experience of the United States and Lessons to China

性别认同是个人内心深处对自己性别的认知,因而也被称之为心理性别。通常情况下,个人的性别认同与其出生时的生理性别是一致的,但也存在一部分个体,他(她)们的性别认同与生理性别不一致,因而产生了生理上的男性认为自己是女性或者生理上的女性认为自己是男性的现象。同性恋、双性恋、跨性别者以及变性人等性少数群体的产生与性别认同有密切关系。性少数群体在许多国家面临不同程度的歧视,就业领域的歧视尤其值得关注。中国已经出现了涉及性别认同的就业歧视案件,但目前尚未有任何规制性别认同歧视的法律法规。美国法院早在20世纪70年代就开始审理涉及性别认同的就业歧视案件,其发展过程中的有益经验能为中国相关制度的构建提供参考。

Gender identity is an individual＇s personal sense of being male or female. Although it most often coincides with a person＇s biological sex, such is not always the case. There are individuals whose biological sex is male but who perceive themselves as female or whose biological sex is female but who perceive themselves as male. Gender identity is deeply connected with sexual minorities such as homosexual, bisexual, transgender or transsexual people. Sexual minorities face discrimination in many countries, and discrimination they face in employment calls for attention. There have been cases challenging gender identity employment discrimination in China although no Chinese laws, rules and regulations can match such cases. The US courts have processed gender identity based employment discrimination lawsuits since the 1970＇s and have accumulated experiences that can provide useful lessons to China for her efforts to develop relevant policy.