Trans people across America are waiting — with a sense of existential dread — for the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court’s R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Arguments begin Oct. 8, and the U.S. government’s position is that transgender people are not protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, up to 57 percent of transgender survey respondents reported experiencing employment discrimination. Only 21 states — including Colorado — and the District of Columbia have non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity. Even in these states, the workplace can be a hostile environment for transgender people. Just ask anyone who has worked in customer service.

Customer service jobs, largely retail and hospitality, make up more than 20 percent of all the jobs in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Customer interactions, even for cisgender employees, can often be fraught and unpleasant. For transgender workers, these interactions can take on a completely different character. Read more via Independent