Discrimination in Employment
" A transgender woman searching for work has been unable to secure employment for many months.  Though a skilled worker, all of her experience was accrued while a man in predominantly male fields.  She has attempted to get work in these fields, but has been refused after the face-to-face interviews.  In other situations, she has been hired but then let go a couple of days before the end of the probationary period."

A Story of Discrimination:
"An intersex person who identifies as a woman was suffering verbal domestic abuse in her home.  Her partner kicked her out of their home. She was not employed and did not have any family or friends that could assist her. She went to the nearest women’s shelter where she was asked whether she had a penis. When she explained that she was intersex and had both male and female genitalia, the shelter refused to house her, but said they were willing to pay for a hotel for three nights.The woman called Triangle Foundation for assistance.We contacted the shelter which agreed to extend the stay to two weeks."

Discrimination happens to all LGBT people regardless of age, race, appearance and affluence.  Currently, only 17 states have passed laws that ban discrimination state-wide. Michigan is not one of these states. The addition of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” to current discrimination laws would protect everyone. Beyond lobbying for an inclusive state-wide discrimination law, Triangle Foundation has helped numerous cities lobby for city-wide discrimination policy changes. This has helped the LGBT citizens in over 15 Michigan cities become protected from discrimination.

In 2007, Michigan saw a tremendous increase in anti-LGBT crimes. The reported incidences went from 97 in 2006, to 298 in 2007. Seventy-two of these were discrimination only cases. It is estimated that every 29 hours, a person suffers from anti-LGBT discrimination. Anti-LGBT discrimination can come in many forms, including but not limited to: being evicted or denied housing, being dismissed from or denied employment and being asked to leave or denied service in businesses. Organizations, such as the American Red Cross, also discriminate against LGBT people. For instance, women who have had sex with a man, who has had sex with another man since 1977, are not allowed to donate blood. Also, men who have had sex with another man since 1977 are not allowed to donate blood. This is a practice rooted in discrimination, and eliminates millions of blood donors. However, it is standard policy to test and screen ALL blood donations, regardless of who is donating it.

There are many theories regarding why overall discrimination went up 207% since 2006, with the public attacks on LGBT people, including the denial of same sex domestic partner benefits, as one of the leading problems. These public attacks set a negative climate where discrimination and violence against LGBT people is seen as acceptable.