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I Don't Want a Sex Change
Yesterday's historic cloture-proof vote in support of the Matthew Shepard Act, commonly referred to as the hate crimes bill was a major victory. Every Democratic Senator joined together with a handful of Republicans to reach 60 votes in favor of a bill that classifies crimes against people that are motivated by their sexual orientation or gender identity a federal crime.
While we should be celebrating a major advance in the movement for equal rights, the celebration was considerably dampened by reports that Democratic Leadership in the House of Representatives was considering dropping trans-inclusive language from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The Washington Blade broke the story yesterday.
The discussion over this has been steadily brewing since the trans-inclusive legislation was introduced less than a year ago. Political pressure couldn't be greater on both the Democratic Leadership and the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT advocacy organization.
Democrats in general have come under fire from gay activists and funders for a lack of action on legislative priorities such as ENDA and hate crimes. HRC has also come under criticism for the same lack of progress. Both are desperately in need of substantive victories to appease their constituencies. In addition, Speaker Pelosi is slated to receive a major award at HRC's National Dinner next weekend. It's unclear how she will be received in light of this development.
All of this boils down to whether we should sacrifice transgender inclusion in the ENDA legislation in order to pass a bill in the immediate future. For me, the answer is simple. No one should be left behind at the convenience of others. It is a moral obligation and a defining moment in the movement for equal rights under the law.
I don't want a sex change. Chances are you don't either. However, the simple concept of equality under the law is surely something we can all agree on. That's all this is about.
The larger picture is even more problematic. It's almost October. The Democratic Leadership has done little to advance major legislative items that have been pushed to the backburner under the previous Republican majority. It seems that not a week goes by when a major constituency of the Democratic Party isn't disappointed with Congress. In our election-oriented political system, not much is likely to be done next year, so this presents a major problem or Democrats.
Regarding the more comprehensive version of ENDA, every major organization advocating equal rights for LGBT America unequivocally and immediately expressed their opposition to dropping the trans-inclusive language and opposition to any bill not containing the language -- every major organization except for the Human Rights Campaign.
There are conflicting reports as the action they will take. Some reports indicate a split between the staff and the board. Others indicate a split among their board Members. Either way, their decision is critical in determining how this issue will play out. HRC comes with a lot of cash, a healthy PAC, an influential board, and high name ID among the LGBT population. With all of these things comes a great responsibility. Their mission, as shown on their website, their building, and on their business cards states: "Working for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Equal Rights."
That it appears they are questioning their policy of opposing the exclusion of transgender people from equality in the workplace is a very bad sign. Should they abandon their policy, they will not only abandon the transgender community, but also their own mission.
Although you may not know a transgender person, please help spread the principle of equality under the law for all Americans. While some may attempt to make the issue more complex, it really is just that simple. We all deserve equal access to Justice.
Follow Lane Hudson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tlanehudson
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"I'm a human being. What are you?"
My money says he's a Republican. Enough said.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/frontPage.do
Leaders of 12 LGBT rights groups issued a statement Thursday opposing any effort to remove transgender protections from the latest iteration of the 33-year drive to add gay men and lesbians to federal anti-discrimination law.
"If true, this decision was made without consultation with leaders of the lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual community," the statement read.
Signatories included leaders of PFLAG, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Stonewall Democrats, Lambda Legal, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, and the AFL-CIO's Pride at Work, among other groups, as well as the National Center for Transgender Equality's Mara Keisling.
Human Rights Campaign spokesman Brad Luna confirmed that House leaders were likely to consider a bill without trans protections.
"HRC is deeply disappointed and did not assent to this position," Luna said.
Adamske said that putting a trans-inclusive bill on the floor for a vote could result in a bruising debate that would make it very difficult to revisit the bill.
"The one thing we don't want to do is embolden the enemy," he said of Republicans who might be looking to exploit the vote as a wedge issue.
From a joint statement (as quoted in 365Gay.com):
Our organizations oppose the removal of protections for transgender people from ENDA. We would also oppose any employment nondiscrimination bill that did not protect transgender people," the joint statement said.
While we don't doubt the sincerity of congressional leadership's intent to take action and be helpful to the LGBT community, we cannot disagree more with this strategy. We will continue to work with LGBT-supportive members of Congress to urge their colleagues to immediately drop this strategy.
As a gay transsexual man, I have a unique point of view on this topic. It's ok for one part of who i am to be protected, but not another? It upsets me that some of my fellow gays and lesbians are willing to freely sacrifice protections for transsexuals for their own gain. Everyone deserves the right to have a job and keep it without fear of being found out.
Legal change in American bigotry occurs small steps at a time, particularly when it comes to legislation. If you hold out to include everyone, you are permitting a large group of people to continue to suffer discrimination. Better to take as much as you can and then come back next time for more.
We too often forget that "sex" was added to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in an attempt to prevent anti-discrimination legislation on the basis of race. Then, the votes were such that sex became an opportunity for women. Here, the reality is that transgender will likely sink anti-discrimination legislation for gays and lesbians.
WTF is "GLBT community"? Gender identity and sexual orientation have nothing to do with each other (unless you believe that gays are 20% female etc.). OK, if you believe that "inclusiveness" is always good, shouldn't we protect "GLBTP" community - gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and pedophiles?
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate "trannies", and transgender people shouldn't be discriminated against, but it has nothing to do with gays and lesbians.
It is a matter of being a TRUSTED ally. Gays/Lesbians may not agree 100% with all transexual issues, and vice versa.
But when someone attacks one of us, or attempts to seperate who deserves EQUALITY in America, I stand shoulder to shoulder with Transexuals...all for one.
btw. take your pedofile smear and drag out frothy Santorum's man-on-dog sh*t and SHOVE IT!
speaking of pedofiles...The Nevada child sex tape is a G*D DAMN HETEROSEXUAL!
Thanks for reporting this reprehensible act by COWARDS in the Democratic Party.
LGBT leaders let these cowards
WE WILL NOT BE DIVIDED!
Pam's House Blend had good article on this issue too.
No, I don't want a sex change either. I'd truly miss my nibbly bits. I can't say I understand transgendered people, but that doesn't matter. What I do understand is that NO ONE should ever be discriminated against.
Hi tombollocks,
It's okay to say you don't understand transgendered people. Most of us don't understand ourselves.
I thank you for the 'no one should ever be discriminated against' comment.
I think we should all stick together. If we let lowly politicians and people with attitudes such as 'Frosty Grin' (previous poster) mess with our unity we will all lose.
Hollywood Bill,
Let’s rally behind our community. If you choose to sell out our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual AND Transgender community, that is your personal decision, but I plan to not have our community to be divided by the very same forces that have always sought to oppress us.
The transgender community has fought just as hard as any other part of our community. Your very rights are affirmed because of LGBT activists of the past, not just the activism of gay men or lesbians.
The political climate is RIPE for an all-inclusive bill. All we need is leadership and backbone on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign and Democratic Leaders in Congress. We’ve fought for more than a decade for this bill, we can put in a few more months for a perfect bill, instead of passing a bill that divides, demeans and plain hurts the queer community.
- Kevin Ballie
Dump the trannies. It's tough enough being gay in this country at times without throwing in a group that has usually stated that they aren't gay to begin with. How this crew got attached to the Gay/Lesbian Alliance is beyond my comprehension.
At best the numbers for this sub group are so miniscule as to be non existent. The US Census Bureau estimates the number of Gays in the country to be 5%. I doubt that the number of transsexual people is 1/10 of 1% of the gays.
Maybe another day the political climate will change, but for now I would like to see my rights extended and protected. If that means a compromise at the moment, then so be it.
F*CK YOU
Transexuals will NOT be thrown under a bus, or made to ride in the back of a bus.
Democrats either STAND for all of the LGBT community....or don't ask for ONE DIME or ONE VOTE.
got it?
GOOD!
Thanks again for denigrating us trannies, hollywoodbill.
For your information, transgendered people are tightly knit with gays and lesbians through the same history of oppression by the same oppressors. It's nice to know transgendered people now have to look forward to oppression from socially acceptable gays.
In case you forgot, stonewall wasn't just a gay battle. There were transgendered people there too. Also, the reason we're so invisible is that it is more difficult to come out as a transsexual than it is a gay in today's social climate. Not to mention that even just expressing your gender issues openly throws up a giant flag that attracts criminally insane bigots.
How often do you hear about paramedics refusing to help a gay accident victim as opposed to a transsexual one? There have been cases in RECENT history of transsexuals being left to bleed to death because nobody wanted to touch them. What about the rape victims in the T community? FtM's are attacked by men who need to show them how to be women and FtM's are attacked because sickos feel the need to show THEM what it's like to be a woman.
Christ. I am so tired of uncaring me me me people like yourself.
I no longer divide the world between republicans and us. I now divide it between all small minded cruel hearted people and human beings. I'm a human being. What are you?
Sorry for the rant.
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