My name is Michaela Everie Mendelson.
I am the President of Pollo West Co. 
and a transgender activist.
Hello my name is Kristen Rodriquez.
I've been a general manager 
for two years in this store.
My name is Marie Angel Hernandez.
I am a cashier and drive-thru attendant.
My name is Jessye Zambrano, 
and I'm working for El Pollo Loco right now.
Nearly half of the employees that work in
the store identify as transgender, as I do as well.
Kristy was our first transgender worker hired.
Kristy talked to me about the severe difficulties
she had had in her previous job.
I lost my job because I used the woman's bathroom.
And when I used the men's bathroom, because
my managers told me, "You need to use that one,"
I don't feel good and I don't feel
comfortable, you know, because some men come in
and try to touch me and whatever, you know.
I go to tell them, and these guys fire me
with no excuses to say,
"Oh, we need to cover my customers."
So what about me?
That really tugged at my heart.
I knew at that point that it was more important
to me to start hiring more transgender employees.
Right now that I'm working at El Pollo Loco,
I feel so free.
I love it working with transgender girls like me.
I've never worked in a situation where I've had other transgender peers.
To see how well we got along with each
other, it ended up just being so fluid.
All I can promise to anybody I hire is that
they will get an equal footing and the opportunity
that anybody else has.
So many of the transgender people we've hired
have absolutely shined in the workplace.
I don't need to be another person.
I feel free.
She's given a lot of opportunities to a lot
of people, and I think other people enjoyed it
Our customers love it.
They feel that energy, that enthusiasm that
comes from our transgender employees,
that they are so happy to be out in the workplace 
as who they are.
And that comes back to us in compliments from
our customers.
The visibility that we're creating here is
important because it creates a conversation
with people who have less information about
us and our community.
It helps bring people together.
It helps shine light into the reality of the
transgender community, who we are
and what we can do well
and to also inspire other girls.
They too can make a difference, they too can
go and look for a job that will make them
feel safe and free and most importantly, 
comfortable being themselves.
Anything that we want to be, we can do it.
We are a regular normal person.
It's just, we need the opportunities to be
successful in our lives.
As a trans person I was quite surprised to
have a hard time in Los Angeles.
It was hard because of the discrimination,
the bullying.
Transgender people are twice as likely to
be unemployed, and four times as likely if
they are trans women of color.
It's basically a bias.
The lack of opportunity that was being offered
towards me, that was the message that I was getting.
It's that we don't want to hire you.
I formed a group called 
California Trans Workplace Project.
Right now we're working with California Restaurant
Association and we're working closely with
the Center.
This is the kind of thing that not only is
helping the trans people
that are going to get jobs through this, 
it opens hearts and minds.
I believe that every time someone meets you,
they are educated in some ways, because you
have helped them erase a stigma that they have
carried on maybe their whole lives.
So many people don't realize they've ever
met a trans person, but when they realize
it, it's the one on one contact that in the
end makes the biggest difference.
Places like the LA LGBT Center are important
certainly because it's the hub of our community.
It's like the heart of what's happening.
I love working closely with them and I'm always
sending people there for help, whether it's
to see therapists, to get medical help,
with their hormones, or even legal help.
The Center helped me to get a doctor.
Nobody looked at me weird cause, you know,
we are their family.
It's such a wonderful thing to have in our
community because we know that together,
we are stronger.
And the Center offers that platform to embrace
and bring all these people together,
making our community a much safer and better place for all.
It's invaluable what they do, 
and I'm proud to be working with them.
