Trans People Removed From Jobs Bill
YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS! OR SADLY, YOU PROBABLY WILL..
In a Sept. 27 back-room maneuver, House Democratic leaders cut transgender people out of the H.R. 2015, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act—ENDA. The wording in H.R. 2015 would have made it illegal to bar employment or promotions or to fire a worker based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
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WHAT PEOPLE DON’T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND IS..
Transgendered persons have been the victims of significant discrimination that demonstrably impairs their ability to enjoy the same basic privileges as most U.S. citizens. The reality is that the transgendered are routinely subject to widespread discrimination in employment, housing, services and public access. Moreover, such discrimination occurs because of perceptions of inappropriate gender related appearance or conduct that actually affects a broader class of persons besides merely those that in fact identify as transgendered persons, such as men perceived as effeminate or women perceived as masculine, regardless of whether such men or women identify as heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual. As a result, gender identity protections against discrimination would in fact benefit a wider class of persons than merely the transgendered. It seems obvious that such protections could benefit many other members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities.
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IT’S OUTRAGEOUS!
The exclusion of gender identity protections from any version of ENDA is outrageous, to the detriment of the transgendered and many gay, lesbian, bisexual and even straight individuals and Illinois Gender Advocates adds its name to the list of national and state LGBT groups in opposition to such exclusion.
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HERE’S ONE THEORY ABOUT WHY THEY DID IT:
HRC can’t be trusted on this issue. They’re desperate for a legislative victory. They’re as desperate for the victory as the democratic leadership is, because they’re about to kick up their fundraising and they want the gay money.”
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THEY’LL COME BACK FOR US LATER? DON’T COUNT ON IT!
Shame on Barney Frank, Nancy Polosi, and Joe Salmonese AND the HRC!
Shame on them for their attempt at excluding transgender and gender identity from the bill. And shame on them for trying to divide the queer community! Think about it, you know that this has been in the works for a long time. You can bet your ass that Sept. 27th was not the first meeting/discussion regarding the new language excluding Trans people from the revised bill. These things take lots of planning, dozens of meetings, writing and rewriting the text.
One of my many questions for the authors and supporters of this revised, non-inclusive bill is.. Doesn’t anyone fucking remember Stonewall? Okay, quick queer history lesson: Who was there in Summer of 1969 at the Stonewall Inn when the LGBT civil rights movement was catapulted forward? It was the trannies and drag queens who threw the first punches with NYPD in the West Village demanding that the discrimination and abuse of all LGBT community members stop! By all counts the acronym should be TLBG. Yet it’s the Trannies who get the last letter in the LGBT acronym AND the ‘Ohhh, we’ll come back for you later’ mentality. You can’t just drop the T in order to further your political agenda.
Trans people are the least heard in the queer community, but the most visible inside/outside of it. As a result, trans people are at a higher risk of violence and employment loss. Equally as scary and sad is that trans youth have an alarmingly high rate of suicide in this country. Trans people deserve to be included. We NEED to be included. What kind of message does is send all transmen and transwomen that you are a part of this important legislation? It sends the terrible message, once again, that trans people are not valued, not important , and now NOT INCLUDED. Shame on Barney Frank, Nancy Polosi, and Joe Salmonese and the HRC for delivering this fucked up message.
MY SUGGESTION:
Write your state representative and tell them you DO NOT support the HR 3685 because it does not include gender identity or gender expression. Tell your representative that you DO support the bill titled H.R. 2015, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act—ENDA, which is the only fully inclusive, barring employment or promotions or to fire a worker based on sexual orientation or gender identity bill.
Click here to write your representative an email online now!
Thank you for your time.
LYMI, XO – Ian