| ENDA must include transgender people |
[Oct. 6th, 2007|02:21 pm]
jiawen
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The House of Representatives may pass a bill called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and -- if things work out right -- gender identity. If gender identity is included, that means transgender (transsexual, crossdresser, drag queen, etc. etc.) people will be included, as well as other people who vary from society's gender norms.
Many people have been trying to get gender identity removed from the bill. This includes Barney Frank, who's a great ally to gay people but not an ally to transgender people. The position of the Human Rights Coalition, the biggest GLB(T?) organization in the US, is unclear. They appear to be willing to jettison transgender people if it means the bill will get passed.
There are strong reasons why transgender people should not be excluded from this bill. The fact is, even if the bill does pass, it will probably get vetoed by President Bush. We shouldn't allow the Right to divide and conquer us. Many (and, some would argue, all) GLB people are discriminated against for their gender presentation rather than their sexual orientation. Many people are discriminated against for their gender presentation at work, regardless of GLBT status. (Remember "you must wear makeup if you want to work at this casino"? Remember the days when women were required to wear makeup everywhere?) If the bill passes without TG people, there's a very good chance that TG people will never be included. And, of course, the reason that strikes closest to home for me: passing this bill without transgender inclusion would hurt me.
Please call your Representative at (202) 224-3121 and let them know where you stand on this. Here's an example of what you can say. Here are many things you can do. |
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