Walmart Adds Transgender Provisions To Employee Non-Discrimination Policy

Walmart has passed provisions in its employee non-discrimination policy to protect transgender employees reports the Windy City Times.

Phillip Keene, a company spokeperson, told the publication that the changes went into effect "several weeks ago" and will safeguard workers from discrimination and harassment based on both gender identity and gender expression.

Though Keene was quoted as saying, "We've had a strong anti-discrimination policy for a long time," the company has a history of butting heads with LGBT workers and equality organizations. In 2010 an employee claimed he was stripped of many of his responsibilities and forced to wear a yellow vest while in the store after he admitted he was gay to a supervisor.

In January of this year the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City joined other anti-Walmart groups intent on keeping the big box retailer out of New York City. Specifically citing homophobia as its motivation, the group released a statement saying:

"Wal-Mart represents a culture of intolerance and insensitivity towards LGBT employees and issues that is unwelcome in New York. Just last year more than 100 Wal-Mart stores were found to be promoting a children’s book that suggested that gay people can overcome 'sin' and convert to heterosexuality with the help of counseling. Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke signed a petition in his home state of Arkansas that was aimed at preventing adoption by Gay and Lesbian parents."

They also noted that Walmart received a 40 on the 2011 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, which grades companies on LGBT issues (in comparison, AT&T, Ford, and Procter & Gamble received perfect scores of 100). WalmartWatch.org reported that the company received a 15 point deduction for "a large-scale official or public anti-LGBT blemish on their recent records, specifically by opposing a shareholder resolution to amend their non-discrimination policies to include gender identity."

Comments

[dbrett480]

07:45 PM on 10/12/2011

WalMart will do whatever it can to appeal to every single minority group just to avoid bringing any sort of organized labor into the markets.

[chefacree]

10:33 AM on 09/30/2011

Very good for them. Now if they would just pay a living wage they could enter the 21st century.

[David Garcia Hong Kong]

06:27 AM on 10/06/2011

In the midst of all the back and forth arguments, this is one that I most agree with. Spot on and concise. Good going!

[crnlrobert]

11:28 PM on 09/29/2011

What about protecting your transgendered CUSTOMERS Walmart? I was at the Walmart in Roswell, NM late one night. If you ever shop at a Walmart after 11 p.m., you will see all the aisles are full of stockers with boxes full of commodities to be shelved. This female trandsgendered customer received cat calls, loud whistles, obscenities, and even obscene GESTURES by these JERKS who weren't even Americans and working for Walmart. Upon checkout, she was ahead of me and the cashier was just plain rude and nasty to her, and the cat calls and whistles continued from those stocking the shelves behind us. It was despicable. I apologized to her outside of the strore and asked her to complain to upper management in Bentonville, AR. She told me that it's useless, she just ignores them. I found it sad when she told me that it's even worse for her to shop in the day, that's why she chooses to do her grocery shopping so late at night. What pi$$e$ me off is that these guys--and GALS--are of another culture, a culture that the manager of the store is of also. And the overwhelming majority of those who work at this Walmart, including the cashiers and sales clerks, are also of this 'alien' culture.

[chefacree]

10:34 AM on 09/30/2011

Would the alien culture be Irish?

[MelodyG]

01:57 PM on 09/30/2011

You know you can complain about the harassment you witnessed, even if she chose not to do so.

[LA is Great]

10:04 PM on 09/29/2011

Gays don't want to work, play, have families, be in the military or anything else WITHOUT having an in your face attitude, demanding special recognition! They also demand that the employer contributes to and gives the gay employee time off for their so called "tolerance & awarness" campaigns while in reality gays really expect everyone to pander to them! Just a simple difference of opinion will get you tagged a homophobe! They don't want equal, they are demanding superiority! I for one am sick and tired of all of this and I know that the majority of Americans are also!

[Dael Sumner]

10:34 PM on 09/29/2011

Hmm. apparently the "majority of Americans" are NOT against it. Only the timid ones who wish to be the only ones with rights. No one is demanding any "special recognition", just the same recognition as you are accorded. How selfish can you be or do you really enjoy lording what you have over others?

[Conuly]

10:36 PM on 09/29/2011

1. You're wrong.
2. We're not even talking about gay people in this article.

[olitenup]

08:35 PM on 09/29/2011

Right...that is like saying republicans and their religious extremists have family values. They don't walk the walk.

[sushigirl]

07:44 PM on 09/29/2011

I can proudly say we will never allow a Walmart in San Francisco, we've stopped them before, even towns close to us have stopped them.
I can also say I have never and will never step foot in a Walmart. The Walton's don't need my money and I don't need their goods. If they had bread for .15 cents and milk for .20 cents I still wouldn't go in one.

[Kaila]

12:35 PM on 09/30/2011

So you're proud that you're part of a large, aggressive, ideological group that is blocking opportunities for others (did it ever occur to you that some lower income people might want to benefit by the lower costs and job opportunities that a Wal Mart brings?).

You're no different from the fundies I have had to battle my entire life as a member of the LGBT community growing up in Oklahoma. Ignorance and self-righteousness are ignorance and self-righteousness no matter WHAT side of the aisle they come from.

[MelodyG]

02:02 PM on 09/30/2011

Has it occurred to you that many more people suffer because of WalMart's subpar wages and the aggressive tactics they use to bankrupt local businesses?

Groups of local businesses and local consumers in NYC have blocked WalMart's attempts to open in the city because they're trying to protect their economy and their community, not because of ignorance and self-righteousness and not because of LGBT issues.

Practice what you preach.

[sushigirl]

07:27 PM on 09/30/2011

If you knew me you'd know that equating me to a fundamentalist is laughable. The large ideological group is not what WalMart blockers are, WalMart is the large, agressive, ideological group that underpays their workers, gives them just enough hours so they don't qualify for medical benefits and forces mom and pop stores to close down. Check how many stores WalMart has, they aren't hurting because SF won't allow them here. As for lower income people who want to shop there, all they have to do is go across the bay. Have you been to a small town where Walmart has gone in, the once thriving downtown's have folded up and the Walmart workers are on welfare because they don't get paid a decent wage.
What I am - is proud to live in SF, we are a very progressive liberal city, accepting of all groups. I'm sorry you grew up in a place that wouldn't accept you, maybe if you moved to SF you'd find acceptance and be less angry.

[fortressfountain]

06:53 PM on 09/29/2011

Translation they will protect any worker who wants a 10 hour a week job for their tax credits.
Big deal-why don't they do something for the people like have a living wage.
I will not shop there unless they do-not that I would buy the 3rd world shoddy merchandise.

[marierocks]

05:50 PM on 09/29/2011

I worked for Wally World for two years. I am a straight woman of trans origin. I did an interview about trans people in a local newspaper and was promptly fired by the store I worked at. I put up with two years of harassment from bible-thumping haters (their employees). Having that law is great, but many managers will simply make-up anything to get rid of employees and skirt the new policy, as they consider certain folk "undesirables" including disabled people, older workers, ambitious women, and out GLBT people. Ultra-conservative hate is part of their culture and Republicanism reigns in their twisted environment of low wages.

[Doug Girard]

10:06 PM on 09/29/2011

Really? If Wal*Mart teminated you for comments of TG, whether they were in favor or against, they are in breach of their own code of policies, and you have the right to file a grievance for class action.
What did they enter into your form of termination, or what did they tell you at your 'exit interview.' It doesnt matter really what they entered, because if an investigation shows they misrepresented themselves by terminating you by lying, it is fraud. And if they DID enter that you were fired for misrepresenting the company because of your comments, which go against the 1st Amendment (also grounds for suit), they would be liable for breaking the discrimination acts law, fror both yourself AND your comments for or against TG.
You most certainly have a solid case if you follow through on it. And trust me, most lawyers love big time class action suits.
This has the ramifications of really twisting a knife in their so called 'impenetrabe armor.'

[shyhon]

08:14 PM on 09/30/2011

Let me rock your world.
Hatred and stupidity know no bounds. What, ALL the stores employees were republicans? You have been mislead if you mistakenly assign political philosophy to stupidity and unkindness. That, unfortunetly is found everwhere, and as you pointed out, toward anyone.
My husband who is 2nd generation Lebanese worked for an openly advid, very publically obvious bunch of pro democrat owners of a business . During one of the sets of troubles in the middle east, they took to saying "hey, sheethead!" when calling him. Or, hey Ghadafi, or Ayatolla!
This was very insulting to my husband as a wonderful, commited America. He finally quit, as quite probably they wanted him to do all along.
People can be mean, stupid and hateful. Thank God they are also kind, thoughtful and considerate. I hope you meet more of the latter and less of the former.
Good luck to you in the future.
Ps, lots of religious people, probably the majority, donot consider trans-gender as sinful. As always the bigget blowhards get the most attention.

f

[Wendy Stewart]

02:20 PM on 09/29/2011

But do they hire transgender workers, or just protect the ones they had no idea were prior to their hiring?

[l2fog]

01:47 PM on 09/29/2011

All I can say is I hope no one goes into Walmart with a NRA or vote republican patch. or Jesus is Lord or something like that or they may get arrested.

[Justtheobvious]

01:38 PM on 09/29/2011

This is nothing but a publicity front. They care nothing about employees only their public image.

[Doug Girard]

10:10 PM on 09/29/2011

You dont know how absolutely correct that statement is. If you really knew the atrocities that go on every day, you would be violently ill for a long time.

[harrypfan1224]

01:33 PM on 09/29/2011

A family member worked in Wal*Mart for twenty years or so. Believe me, the LGTB community is *not* the only thing they discriminate against. Ageism, racism, sexism... pretty much any '-ism' you can think of, they have it. If they can't lower your salary without looking like the complete and utter a**holes they are, they'll cut your hours so you can't *get* that salary - even if they need you - and slash the benefits you signed on for. I've yet to meet *anyone* who liked working at Wal*Mart, even in a managerial position, unless they were one of the lucky few who could lord their status and salary over others (mostly males, predominantly white). Don't work there; just don't. I'd rather work at Chuck E Cheese with screaming brats all day, or even as a dock-worker unloading *fish* shipments all day with no running water to rinse off the smell. I'd even work selling perfume, and I'm *allergic* to most perfumes to the point of hives, migraines, and in some cases (usually over-exposure) hospitilization. Don't work at Wal*Mart.

[Doug Girard]

10:18 PM on 09/29/2011

You forgot one category. They absolutely hate individuals with a high level of experience. Ive seen many 'managers' that have been hired off the street, have no idea about the retail business or working with 300+ employees, no idea of ethics, or more emportantly common sense, but since they are 'managers', they think they are experts in the field.
Bunch of cowflop if you talk to hourlys and managers who have been in the business for years.
A ploy made by Wal*Mart so they can pay middle management lower salaries as well as low ball hourly wages as well.
And yes they cut hours and as well as strip employees of their voice as well as compromising their work ethics. They train you to do one thing, but when you go to do that way, they tell you its wrong. Another ploy to get employees confused so they 'break' their 'wonderful' book of policies and procedures, and in the process expose them to termination.

[crnlrobert]

11:50 PM on 09/29/2011

I agree. Walmart is more of a detriment to America than an asset. Furthermore, if you live in the Southwest like I do, Walmart would prefer to higher illegal aliens. Working with these people is a nightmare. They blatantly talk about American employees in "their language" right where that American employee is standing. They even talk negatively about customers. One had the audacity to assume that I didn't understand what she was saying as she made fun of my glasses to another alien. I turned and looked at her, and told her that I'm fluent in Portuguese and have no trouble understanding Spanish. I got her name, contacted Bentonville, and she was out of there the following day as a Walmart associate told me she was fired. This business of speaking a foreign language on the job @ Walmart has to stop. You're working in America, can't communicate in English with English-speaking customers and fellow employees around, then you shouldn't be there.

[soopershrink]

01:26 PM on 09/29/2011

Forget it WM, I'm sure that Chad isn't interested in working for you!

[HBobedajr]

04:39 PM on 09/29/2011

Who's Chad?

[soopershrink]

05:54 PM on 09/30/2011

Chad Bono, Sonny & Cher's Daughter Chastady, Later Chad.

[HBobedajr]

04:11 PM on 10/01/2011

That,s funny, I always thought that it was "Chaz",not "Chad".

That's why I was asking,"Who's Chad".

[MichaelRCooke]

01:16 PM on 09/29/2011

I remember in the early 80's i was visiting my Great Uncle and Aunts in Arkansas and Wal-mart was a small local business. My Uncle, liberal fellow raised in new York Schuyler County, noticed that Wal-mart, which at that time was unknown in New York, distinguished itself from other businesses in Little Rock by hiring people of color.

I'm Gay, I also know too well what is wrong with Wal-mart (low wages, company policy using Federal food stamps to supplement wages, union busting, importing sub minimum wages with goods from China and putting local business - out of business..etc).

So if the company you love to hate does something right....

And really, the problem with Wal mart is the problem with ALL BIG BOX STORES. Best Buy puts smaller electronic stores out of business, their wages are not spectacular - same for Sears, K-Mart, True-Value ..etc. The bigger the store the more they buy the less they pay per item and the cheaper they can sell each item.

So even though I am Gay and Wal-mart smartly is not discriminating against people like me, and may even court my dollar - I'm spending my money locally first, at small retail shops, smaller super markets - even though I'm poor and spend a little more. I find money spent on quality is the better bargain even at a higher cost, I save the money on paying for something cheap - twice or three times.

[bi-poplar]

01:14 PM on 09/29/2011

We'll add all those people to our non-discrimination policy, but we will also contribute loads of money to elect candidates that will make those policies unconstitutional. Win-win