Years ago, Matthew Shepard was robbed, beaten into a coma, and left to die hanging on a fence post outside Laramie, Wyoming. I’ve had the pleasure and honor of meeting Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mom, who tours the country speaking out against hate crimes at colleges, offices, and other locations. Matthew’s attackers were not tried under hate crime laws; for this reason, as well as the fact that both Matthew and Judy are huge icons for the queer community, the new GLBT-inclusive hate crimes law is unofficially referred to in his honor (the bill’s ‘real’ title, “Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009,” is much longer and much less meaningful).
The bill will expand the standing hate crimes law (which hasn’t changed much since 1969 when it was first signed into law) to include gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. Currently, crimes committed on the basis of these traits—such as the murder of Matthew Shepard, as well as the murders of those individuals honored every Transgender Day of Remembrance—are not considered hate crimes. That means the murderers are not tried under hate crime laws, which call for harsher punishments and the involvement of federal authorities. Without hate crime laws, local authorities can simply choose to ‘look the other way.’ This bill will stop that practice, and will also require the FBI to track information and publish statistics on hate crimes against transgender people, which it currently does not do (although it does for other groups). Lastly, this bill will provide funding for the investigations of hate crimes against GLBT and disabled people.
This bill is different from ENDA, which makes it illegal to discriminate against GLBT and disabled people in the workplace; however, it follows the same basic principles of looking at these groups of people as equals worthy of equal protections, rather than as second-class citizens as many people in these groups currently feel.
The bill was passed just a few days ago, and is on its way to President Obama, who has pledged to sign it into law!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
What is ENDA Up to Now?
The ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) bill calls for equal protection for queer and disabled people in the workplace. For the queer community, ENDA would place ‘sexual orientation,’ ‘gender identity,’ and ‘gender expression’ on the list of traits that employers cannot discriminate against. ENDA can help our community in more than just workplace protection; this could help get the ball rolling on hate crime legislation, and would also help enable queer people to share their work benefits with their partners and families.
ENDA has been around for a long time— maybe fifteen years?—but it wasn’t close to passing until 2007, the year that saw the first Democratic majority in Congress in roughly a million years (or eight, who’s counting?). The Human Rights Campaign, who was spearheading the bill at the time, figured that the bill would have a higher chance of being passed without the word ‘transgender’ in the mix, because it was so controversial. For the benefit of the majority, the HRC dropped the minority ‘T’ from ‘GLBT,’ with good intentions that sparked a huge outrage in the trans community. The us-versus-them debate that broke out in the queer community as a result of that single legal move was phenomenal, and many heads are arguably still reeling from the impact.
If ENDA’s been around for virtually forever, what’s the big deal now? For one thing, the topic of protection against sexual orientation discrimination has been appearing in Congress again and again since the seventies, if not earlier, and is finally being debated NOW. For another, President Obama has pledged to sign this bill into law—if it passes both Houses.
A trans-inclusive ENDA is currently being debated in the House. Right now, the topic of queer discrimination is up to state lawmakers. Twelve states have adopted or developed their own version of ENDA that protects GLBT people in the workplace; seven more states have ‘sexual orientation’ protection only. The law, when passed, will make non-discrimination a national policy. ENDA will not apply to religious organizations (duh), small (as in, family-owned) businesses, or (of course) the military. It will, however, make it a whole lot harder to deny employment or the benefits that come with it to queer applicants. This is especially important to the transgender community; many transfolk have been denied jobs on the basis of their gender identity, and even those who are out in their workplaces are often unable to fully enjoy benefits such as healthcare that their coworkers are able to take advantage of.
ENDA has been around for a long time— maybe fifteen years?—but it wasn’t close to passing until 2007, the year that saw the first Democratic majority in Congress in roughly a million years (or eight, who’s counting?). The Human Rights Campaign, who was spearheading the bill at the time, figured that the bill would have a higher chance of being passed without the word ‘transgender’ in the mix, because it was so controversial. For the benefit of the majority, the HRC dropped the minority ‘T’ from ‘GLBT,’ with good intentions that sparked a huge outrage in the trans community. The us-versus-them debate that broke out in the queer community as a result of that single legal move was phenomenal, and many heads are arguably still reeling from the impact.
If ENDA’s been around for virtually forever, what’s the big deal now? For one thing, the topic of protection against sexual orientation discrimination has been appearing in Congress again and again since the seventies, if not earlier, and is finally being debated NOW. For another, President Obama has pledged to sign this bill into law—if it passes both Houses.
A trans-inclusive ENDA is currently being debated in the House. Right now, the topic of queer discrimination is up to state lawmakers. Twelve states have adopted or developed their own version of ENDA that protects GLBT people in the workplace; seven more states have ‘sexual orientation’ protection only. The law, when passed, will make non-discrimination a national policy. ENDA will not apply to religious organizations (duh), small (as in, family-owned) businesses, or (of course) the military. It will, however, make it a whole lot harder to deny employment or the benefits that come with it to queer applicants. This is especially important to the transgender community; many transfolk have been denied jobs on the basis of their gender identity, and even those who are out in their workplaces are often unable to fully enjoy benefits such as healthcare that their coworkers are able to take advantage of.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Chastity Bono comes out as Chaz Bono
Okay, I’ll admit it: the other day, when I heard that Chastity Bono (offspring of the famous Sonny and Cher duo) publicly came out as male-identified Chaz Bono, my first thought was, ‘here we go.’ Transitioning, even coming out as transgender, is very personal and oftentimes very difficult; can you even imagine how much more difficult it must be as a celebrity whose every move will undoubtedly be scrutinized by anyone and everyone with access to a sounding board?
I put off researching the news for a couple days because I wanted to write a ‘welcome-to-the-community’ post, not a ‘oh-look-we’ve-been-bashed-in-the-news-again’ post, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to find. When I finally did punch a couple words into a couple search engines, though, the results impressed me; I really couldn’t find any negative press about it. There’s a lot of pronoun-swapping and confused vocabulary, but no apparent intentional disrespect unless you actively search for it. And why do THAT?
To date, Chaz himself has not submitted to an interview on the topic; blogs and news clips all over the internet hail him as the new face of the transgender community even as they admit that Chaz seems intent to keep his transition as private as possible. Howard Bragman, a spokesperson for the family, confirmed the coming out story and Chaz’s wish for privacy, adding, “it is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue,” just as his coming out as a lesbian nearly two decades ago helped bring lesbianism into public view.
Candis Cayne, transgender actress and activist, has spoken out in support of Chaz (view the clip here), and of course in support of the entire transgender community. Queer and transgender activist and support groups all over have similarly put out public messages of support.
A lot of those groups are congratulating Chaz on ‘living authentically’ or ‘taking the next step,’ which (perhaps only when taken out of context in a news article) seems to imply that transitioning is necessary or that everyone transitions in the same way. This is certainly not true; just as everyone handles gender differently, so will anyone who identifies as transgender or otherwise gender-variant approach the idea of transitioning differently. Transitioning—indeed, even coming out— is not right for everyone, but it is just as important to support those who take that path as those who take different ones. So, from all of us to you, Chaz: good for you, for doing what’s right for YOU.
I put off researching the news for a couple days because I wanted to write a ‘welcome-to-the-community’ post, not a ‘oh-look-we’ve-been-bashed-in-the-news-again’ post, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to find. When I finally did punch a couple words into a couple search engines, though, the results impressed me; I really couldn’t find any negative press about it. There’s a lot of pronoun-swapping and confused vocabulary, but no apparent intentional disrespect unless you actively search for it. And why do THAT?
To date, Chaz himself has not submitted to an interview on the topic; blogs and news clips all over the internet hail him as the new face of the transgender community even as they admit that Chaz seems intent to keep his transition as private as possible. Howard Bragman, a spokesperson for the family, confirmed the coming out story and Chaz’s wish for privacy, adding, “it is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue,” just as his coming out as a lesbian nearly two decades ago helped bring lesbianism into public view.
Candis Cayne, transgender actress and activist, has spoken out in support of Chaz (view the clip here), and of course in support of the entire transgender community. Queer and transgender activist and support groups all over have similarly put out public messages of support.
A lot of those groups are congratulating Chaz on ‘living authentically’ or ‘taking the next step,’ which (perhaps only when taken out of context in a news article) seems to imply that transitioning is necessary or that everyone transitions in the same way. This is certainly not true; just as everyone handles gender differently, so will anyone who identifies as transgender or otherwise gender-variant approach the idea of transitioning differently. Transitioning—indeed, even coming out— is not right for everyone, but it is just as important to support those who take that path as those who take different ones. So, from all of us to you, Chaz: good for you, for doing what’s right for YOU.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
TLDEF Benefit for the Name Change Project
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) is dedicated to helping transfolk achieve equality. TLDEF seeks to end discrimination against transgender people, and works on everything from national healthcare to fighting employment discrimination to individual legal cases. TLDEF creatively forms partnerships with other legal groups in order to offer helpful programs that many transgender individuals would not have access to otherwise.
One such project is the Name Change Project, which provides free legal name changes to transgender people who cannot afford it. As many of us know, changing one’s legal name is a huge step for a person who is transitioning. Many transgender people spend months or even years living with a new name, and getting the legal recognition of that new identity allows that identity to be acknowledged in ways that it was not before. A driver’s licenses, employment applications, etc. must show one’s legal name, which can sometimes be a painful or embarrassing topic for a transgender person.
Getting one’s friends and family members to embrace a new name is hard enough; legally changing one’s name involves courts, judges, and fees that are intimidating at best. The Name Change Project provides free lawyers for transgender people seeking legal name changes, and will even pay for the name change fee if the person is unable. At the moment, this great resource is only available in New York; hopefully, the Name Change Project or similar initiatives will become available in other areas soon!
Every year, TLDEF holds a Benefit to help raise funds for programs such as the Name Change Project, which has helped over 250 people since its beginnings almost two years ago. The benefit is to be held at the Vlada Lounge in New York City on June 16th. Join TLDEF for cocktails and conversation in order to raise money for the Project!
The cheapest ticket you can buy is $25, the “fixed income” price. Those of us who make minimum wage might find this cost of admission to a cocktail social a bit steep, but remember, the money is going to a terrific cause.
Even if you can’t get to the benefit, it’s good to know that resources like this are out there for our transgender friends, children, lovers and family members!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Trans Pride: Washington DC
I know most of you are probably based in New England like me, but I thought I’d pass along the fact that the Washington DC Trans Pride event is tomorrow! I didn’t even hear about this until today, so don’t feel bad if you didn’t know!
The point of the event is to “celebrate the Washington DC metro area Transgender community,” although since it’s being held in DC (Madison Hotel) it kind of doubles as an affirmation for all of us. Perhaps surprisingly, this event has been going on for the past THIRTY-FOUR years. The theme this year is “Generations of Pride: Celebrate and Remember—Stonewall at 40,” embracing the common theme of GLBT events this year and this June especially. The event schedule and registration ($10) is available online! (Check out http://www.capitaltranspride.org/)Apparently they’ve taken a lot of new steps this year to ensure that it runs smoothly and is better than ever before, so if you happen to be able to check it out, let the rest of us know what it was like!
If you know of any upcoming trans pride or educational events, lectures, and so on, please please please don’t hesitate to post about them or send me an email so that I can. We want to keep communicating, and pride events offer an opportunity like no other to do just that!
Connecticut Pride is ALSO tomorrow, and although not specifically Trans-targeted, it’ll undoubtedly be a good time and a great networking opportunity. Anyone going, feel free to let us know how it was!
Friday, April 17, 2009
April 18 2009: THLC
Guess what tomorrow is!
The third (I think?) annual Transgender Health and Law Conference!
I’m thinking I’ll get all kinds of inspiration and whatnot from the conference tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll be updating more often after that. I know, I know, I’ve been promising you that for a year now. In fact, the Health and Law Conference played a huge role in convincing me to finally go ahead and start this blog.
Hopefully, the other thing I’ll find at the conference tomorrow is some potential blog partners—writers, readers, generally interested parties…?
Well, here’s hoping. At the very least I’m sure I’ll run into all kinds of new and interesting ideas and arguments to have fun with here. I did at the True Colors Conference in March, too!
I’ll be sure to share those too. You know. Eventually.
The third (I think?) annual Transgender Health and Law Conference!
I’m thinking I’ll get all kinds of inspiration and whatnot from the conference tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll be updating more often after that. I know, I know, I’ve been promising you that for a year now. In fact, the Health and Law Conference played a huge role in convincing me to finally go ahead and start this blog.
Hopefully, the other thing I’ll find at the conference tomorrow is some potential blog partners—writers, readers, generally interested parties…?
Well, here’s hoping. At the very least I’m sure I’ll run into all kinds of new and interesting ideas and arguments to have fun with here. I did at the True Colors Conference in March, too!
I’ll be sure to share those too. You know. Eventually.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Self-Expression: America's Pastime
This morning, you woke up and got ready for work or school- whichever it was that was going to occupy your life for the next few hours. You might have showered, and spent some time in the mirror fixing up your hair. Your hair may be its natural color, or it may be dyed- black to hide your age, purple to show off your spirit, auburn to complement your complexion. Whether your hair is dyed or not, it is most certainly cut a certain way- short to keep it out of the way, long to show off its natural bounce. It may be permed, layered, styled, or in dreads. Whatever it is, it looks that way because you want it to; your hair is a reflection of your style, and your style is a reflection of yourself. That’s why you checked it at least once in the mirror today.
Besides your hairstyle is, of course, your wardrobe. Fashion is really a fascinating aspect of American society; no two people, it seems, own the same shirt, and if they do they wear it in utterly different ways. The way you dress is also a reflection of yourself; how professional you are, or how playful; how creative, or how traditional; how flashy, or how conservative. For many of us, the actual clothing is just the beginning of our wardrobe; we must then find the right shoes and accessories, which can range from a simple necklace or tie to fourteen piercings and four shades of eyeshadow.
America is in love with self-expression. Admit it; you want a tattoo. You know someone, who knows someone, who got silicone horns implanted in his forehead, or a raised music note added to the back of her hand. You probably know that “getting a cutting done” refers to getting a professional to cut a design into the skin so that the healed marks make a statement for years to come. At the very least- if any or all of these ideas shock you- you’re disappointed when the cashier at the grocery store doesn’t have stickers all over hir nametag.
Self-expression through physical appearance. We all do it. Some of us spend embarrassing amounts of time and money on it.
So why- in a culture obsessed with originality, body modification, standing out, and hair dye- why is it so hard to be a person whose gender expression does not quite match hir birth-assigned physical sex?
Besides your hairstyle is, of course, your wardrobe. Fashion is really a fascinating aspect of American society; no two people, it seems, own the same shirt, and if they do they wear it in utterly different ways. The way you dress is also a reflection of yourself; how professional you are, or how playful; how creative, or how traditional; how flashy, or how conservative. For many of us, the actual clothing is just the beginning of our wardrobe; we must then find the right shoes and accessories, which can range from a simple necklace or tie to fourteen piercings and four shades of eyeshadow.
America is in love with self-expression. Admit it; you want a tattoo. You know someone, who knows someone, who got silicone horns implanted in his forehead, or a raised music note added to the back of her hand. You probably know that “getting a cutting done” refers to getting a professional to cut a design into the skin so that the healed marks make a statement for years to come. At the very least- if any or all of these ideas shock you- you’re disappointed when the cashier at the grocery store doesn’t have stickers all over hir nametag.
Self-expression through physical appearance. We all do it. Some of us spend embarrassing amounts of time and money on it.
So why- in a culture obsessed with originality, body modification, standing out, and hair dye- why is it so hard to be a person whose gender expression does not quite match hir birth-assigned physical sex?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
