Employees of the City of Dallas, Texas, must use people’s preferred pronouns or risk termination, according to recently publicized documents.
An internal document titled ‘Workplace Gender Transition Protocols & FAQ’ explains the city’s expectations for conduct regarding transgender individuals.
The guidelines explain that ‘gender transition’ can refer to a spectrum of situations, all of which are equally protected.
The document reads, ‘Transition may include ‘coming out’ (telling family, friends, and coworkers), changing the name and/or sex on legal documents, and/or accessing medical treatment such as hormones and/or surgery.’
City employees are ‘expected to respectfully use the transitioning employee’s preferred name and pronouns, regardless of whether or not they ‘believe in,’ approve of, or accept an individual’s right to be transgender or undergo a gender transition,’ according to the guidelines.
It adds, ‘An employee has the right to be addressed by the name and pronoun of their choice. Our addressing the employee by their chosen pronoun is a sign of respect for them as an individual.’
The document claims that ‘refusing to respect an employee’s gender identity by intentionally referring to an employee by a name or by pronouns that do not correspond to the employee’s gender identity’ is a form of discrimination and harassment.
Failing to follow the city’s protocol is grounds for an internal investigation and ‘may be disciplined up to and including termination.’
Fox News Digital reached out to the City of Dallas for clarification on whether one may be excused from the behavioral guidelines based on sincerely held religious convictions.
‘The City of Dallas is a safe and welcoming place for all residents and employees,’ the city government told Fox News in an exclusive statement. ‘The City prohibits discrimination and harassment of employees based on a protected category including race, color, age, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic characteristics, national origin, disability, and military or veteran status.’
‘Violations of these long-standing policies may result in disciplinary action,’ the message added, failing to clarify how the intersection of gender identity and religion convictions is handled.
The city government, referring to the workplace conduct document as a ‘toolkit,’ said that the policies were developed by the City’s Office of Equity.
‘The toolkit […] is a draft of guidelines developed by the City’s Office of Equity and Inclusion with input from Human Resources staff to address the needs of transgender and gender nonconforming employees and provide guidance to supervisors and managers on how to protect the rights and safety of such employees.’
The document recommends that supervisors consult with transgender employees about appropriate responses and discipline for coworkers failing to abide by the guidelines.