do you support trans rights?
Oct. 1st, 2007 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittySignal-boosted from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
srl.
If so, please do one thing on Monday morning (tomorrow), as soon as you can: call Capitol Hill. If you live anywhere in the US, you can do this.
Here's the situation: Congress is getting ready to pass a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act that includes gay men, lesbians, and bi folks but leaves trans people behind. Barney Frank, who's gay himself, has announced that the only way to get ENDA to pass is to leave out The Trans, and Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic leadership in the House seems to be on board with this.
All the major GLBT organizations-- PFLAG, Pride@Work (labor), NGLTF--- have gone on record saying that they're not okay with the Democrats' decision. Even HRC, which has in the past ridden the we're-just-like-you "moderate" bandwagon, is on board with a trans-inclusive ENDA, and they've issued a statement of their consternation:
The decision has been made, according to statements from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Frank issued this afternoon—the House will consider a version of ENDA that does not include gender identity.
This is not what any of us wanted, and certainly not what we’ve been fighting for. But, it has been made clear that the House leadership and bill sponsors are moving forward with a non-inclusive ENDA even without the full support of our community. They view this as the best opportunity they will have this year to help the largest number of people—and have stated that they do not intend to miss this opportunity.
Passing an inclusive ENDA is the right thing to do for our community, our economy and our country. However, we're facing a stark reality.
House leadership and the bill's sponsors very firmly believe that if the House votes on an employment non-discrimination bill without gender identity, that legislation will pass—again, it will pass even without the support of the GLBT organizations.
In other words, the Democrats have enough power/hubris/support that they believe they can push this through without, you know, actually listening to their GLBT constituents. And even if Bush does veto it in the end, they're getting ready to throw me and mine under the bus so that they can shore up their "liberal" credentials and get campaign donations from people who don't find this behavior reprehensible.
I'll put it another way: how much trouble do you think it'll be to get a bill through Congress that's solely about making sure people don't get fired for being trans? Now there's a bill with a snowball's chance in hellDC of passing.
Here's how to call: Look up who your US Rep is. (Cambervillians, yours is probably Mike Capuano; Arlingtonians, yours is probably Ed Markey.) Call the US Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask for your representative's office. When you get the office on the line, you can say something like this:
"Please tell [Representative Markey/Capuano/_______] that I oppose any version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that does not include both sexual orientation and gender identity. Transgender people desperately need the protections ENDA would provide. Surveys of transgender people have found that more than 55% reported discrimination in the workplace, and almost 60% earned less than $16,000 a year. The entire country has an interest in seeing the transgender community thrive in the national economy. Without protection against discrimination, that is nearly impossible. Congress should pass the original version of ENDA that includes both gender identity and sexual orientation." (Hat tip: Transgender Law Center and people on my friendslist)
Thanks! And in the meantime, decide whether you think that attaching the federal GLBT-inclusive hate crimes bill to a war-funding authorization was A) a brilliant show of Democrat political savvy, B) just the way politics is sometimes, C) utter moral cowardice, or D) all of the above.
Tags: politics, trans
srl.If so, please do one thing on Monday morning (tomorrow), as soon as you can: call Capitol Hill. If you live anywhere in the US, you can do this.
Here's the situation: Congress is getting ready to pass a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act that includes gay men, lesbians, and bi folks but leaves trans people behind. Barney Frank, who's gay himself, has announced that the only way to get ENDA to pass is to leave out The Trans, and Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic leadership in the House seems to be on board with this.
All the major GLBT organizations-- PFLAG, Pride@Work (labor), NGLTF--- have gone on record saying that they're not okay with the Democrats' decision. Even HRC, which has in the past ridden the we're-just-like-you "moderate" bandwagon, is on board with a trans-inclusive ENDA, and they've issued a statement of their consternation:
The decision has been made, according to statements from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Frank issued this afternoon—the House will consider a version of ENDA that does not include gender identity.
This is not what any of us wanted, and certainly not what we’ve been fighting for. But, it has been made clear that the House leadership and bill sponsors are moving forward with a non-inclusive ENDA even without the full support of our community. They view this as the best opportunity they will have this year to help the largest number of people—and have stated that they do not intend to miss this opportunity.
Passing an inclusive ENDA is the right thing to do for our community, our economy and our country. However, we're facing a stark reality.
House leadership and the bill's sponsors very firmly believe that if the House votes on an employment non-discrimination bill without gender identity, that legislation will pass—again, it will pass even without the support of the GLBT organizations.
In other words, the Democrats have enough power/hubris/support that they believe they can push this through without, you know, actually listening to their GLBT constituents. And even if Bush does veto it in the end, they're getting ready to throw me and mine under the bus so that they can shore up their "liberal" credentials and get campaign donations from people who don't find this behavior reprehensible.
I'll put it another way: how much trouble do you think it'll be to get a bill through Congress that's solely about making sure people don't get fired for being trans? Now there's a bill with a snowball's chance in hellDC of passing.
Here's how to call: Look up who your US Rep is. (Cambervillians, yours is probably Mike Capuano; Arlingtonians, yours is probably Ed Markey.) Call the US Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask for your representative's office. When you get the office on the line, you can say something like this:
"Please tell [Representative Markey/Capuano/_______] that I oppose any version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that does not include both sexual orientation and gender identity. Transgender people desperately need the protections ENDA would provide. Surveys of transgender people have found that more than 55% reported discrimination in the workplace, and almost 60% earned less than $16,000 a year. The entire country has an interest in seeing the transgender community thrive in the national economy. Without protection against discrimination, that is nearly impossible. Congress should pass the original version of ENDA that includes both gender identity and sexual orientation." (Hat tip: Transgender Law Center and people on my friendslist)
Thanks! And in the meantime, decide whether you think that attaching the federal GLBT-inclusive hate crimes bill to a war-funding authorization was A) a brilliant show of Democrat political savvy, B) just the way politics is sometimes, C) utter moral cowardice, or D) all of the above.
Tags: politics, trans
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 05:25 pm (UTC)I'll go with A and B. I don't think it's moral cowardice to make ENDA happen, whatever it takes. Politicians attach unrelated riders to bills all the time -- it's just the way the system works. And good for them for being somewhat bipartisan about it.
Maybe one day we'll have the ERA, too.
it was awkward, but I did it
Date: 2007-10-01 05:37 pm (UTC)Though it would be pretty funny to tell some random woman in DC that I support trans rights.
Re: it was awkward, but I did it
Date: 2007-10-01 06:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 05:53 pm (UTC)