Time 4 Trans Justice

(sigh and frown) They’re at it again–the right-winged conservatives trivializing what should be basic human rights for all people, and turning them into rights only for the select few who are straight and, supposedly, normal. This article, written by the American Family Association, states that,

“Activists insist that ENDA must be passed in order to protect homosexuals. “Qualified, hardworking [gay and lesbian] Americans are denied job opportunities, fired or otherwise discriminated against for reasons that have nothing to do with their performance and abilities,” says the Human Rights Campaign.

“This discrimination effectively denies qualified individuals equality and opportunity in the workplace, HRC explains. Those who experience this form of discrimination have no recourse under current federal law or under the Constitution as it has been interpreted by the courts.

“But just how many homosexuals have experienced “this form of discrimination?” One looks in vain at HRC’s Web site for any concrete numbers. Instead, the lobby group basically contends that because this kind of discrimination could happen, homosexuals must have federal protection.

“Of course, this does not demonstrate that homosexuals are being fired because of their sexual orientation. Technically speaking, HRC’s argument could be made for countless categories of people. For example, there is no law in any state that says a person can’t be fired for having a beard, being a New York Yankees fan, or preferring mint chocolate chip ice cream. But that doesn’t mean they are.”

Now I ask you–what the heck kind of reasoning is that? It’s circular, because they are essentially saying that if a=b, then b=a, so therefore, a=b=a=b. They aren’t making a bit of sense in that they are not seeing the actual issues. Their question, “So perhaps the question before Congress should be: Are homosexuals being discriminated against in sufficient numbers to justify federal intervention?” really doesn’t make sense either. How does being fair and just to your fellow human being, regardless of who they are sexually attracted to, or the gender they identify as, have to be “justified” for federal intervention? And why do we need cases upon cases to prove that we are human beings with the same rights as everyone else?

Here’s another nugget for you: “…concerning a nonexistent problem.” Non-existent?? Obviously, they have closed their eyes to what exactly is happening and why we need protection like everyone else does. Isn’t it bad enough to be beaten and killed by living our lives? Do they not see this? Why should we be excluded from the protections and basic human rights that these same “Christians” get? And yet, these same people get upset if their way of life is threatened. And I know this is true, as I have spent many, many years in a very conservative church that worshiped on Saturday. They were all about saving the world from the “evil” that would threaten their very same freedoms that they want to keep away from our LGBT community.

I have a confession, though. I couldn’t get through the entire article, because I got so tripped up by the crap they were spewing everywhere and I got angry. With all this happening against us, we need to fight even harder to protect ourselves from the crap they are giving us.

Let me leave you with this baloney that the article spewed out, and my conclusions: “Christians should not underestimate the potency of this weapon in the public-policy wars, however. Because our country has, in the past, been guilty of real discrimination against minorities, we as a people tend to react guiltily to anyone’s claim that they, too, have been wronged.”

First of all, what is “real” and”fake” discrimination? Discrimination is discrimination! Period! We are just as much a minority as those who have had “real” discrimination in the past. The only difference is that it is classified as a “sin” to many Christians. Well, once upon a time, it was considered a sin to be a different color–mainly black, as in the slavery days. And, many people used the good ole’ bible to make their claims. Now, I do not agree with that claim, just as I don’t agree that it is a sin to identify differently than how others identify. To take a line from that article, “a person can’t be fired for having a beard, being a New York Yankees fan, or preferring mint chocolate chip ice cream.” Now, I could say, and find support for in the bible, that being a Yankees fan is a sin. (And I am sure there are some that would actually agree with me!) Or, I could say that not having a beard would be a sin according to the bible. But what would be the point?

Next, why are people debating so heavily about federal protections for any particular class of human beings? Didn’t Jesus say to “love your brother (and sister, and whoever else) as yourself”? Well, let’s say that everyone in the LGBT community is a human being. If we are to love each other as ourselves, then why is discrimination even present?? Basic human rights: to be able to make a decent living, free from harassments, and to be safe from attacks based on orientation or gender identity. What is the harm in letting others live as they choose, so long as they are not infringing on another person’s basic rights? In living harmoniously with others, discrimination would not even be an issue. So…why the big deal on their part??

Today is the day I can either rant or rave about whatever I choose within the trans topic. And…strange as it may seem, I am at a loss for words. ;)  So, here is a picture for you to look at instead…

I sit here…waiting for the bigwigs at our insurance company to decide whether or not they will pay for my top surgery.  If I was getting a different kind of surgery, and if I had not been on the radar already for being Trans-related, then I probably would have heard back already. But as it stands now, I am still waiting…is that a bad thing? What does that mean? Seriously though, it seems like for Trans-related issues, medical insurance does not want to touch SRS (sexual reassignment surgery) and would rather not pay for anything at all.

The Transgender Law Center website has an excellent  article about this, including what insurance companies need to do to not discriminate against Transgender people.  Here are some great excerpts about it:

“Many transgender people are denied health insurance coverage altogether solely because they are transgender.  Most transgender people who apply for private health insurance on their own (not through a group plan with their work or school) have been denied coverage if the insurance company is aware of their transgender status. “

“Transgender people who have managed to acquire health insurance cannot get coverage for any services that are related to being transsexual or transgender.  Almost every public and private health insurance program has exclusionary language in their contractual terms such as: All procedures related to being transgender are not covered.”

“The medical system only recognizes the existence of males and females.  This creates problems for many transgender people whose bodies do not fit the standard male/female model. For instance, health insurance companies require that everyone identify themselves as either male or female.”

As you can see, the odds are stacked against us in the health care, and medical insurance arena. We have to fight our way through for every little right we get–as if being human isn’t enough to get the basic rights. Oh wait–it isn’t! The entire world is bent on rights for some, but not all, of humanity. Only the “normal”–rich, white, and straight, plus those whose identity fits their bodies they live–have rights. The rest of us either stand up and protest for every little right gets thrown our way, or sit down, shut up and take it. Is that any way to treat anyone??

  Today’s entry in the Notable Transmen series is about Dr. Alan L. Hart, Physician and Radiologist. He was born in 1890 as Alberta Lucille Hart and was said to have identified as a boy from earliest memories. The FtM History site says this about him, “He transitioned in 1917 after graduating from medical school in Portland, Oregon. He had his surgery in 1918 and changed his name. Soon after, he married and started a medical practice. His second marriage in 1925 lasted until the end of his life. Alan published five books, including four novels and a text on his medical specialty (radiology). He had successful medical practices in Tacoma, Washington and Hartford, Connecticut. He lived as male successfully for many years without hormones till late in his life when male hormones became available.“

Obviously, this is not a new phenomenon, hatched up only in the last 20 years, as so many people would like to think. This has roots back before there were hormones, and  a Harry Benjamin Standards of Care. It apparently has roots way, way back to the time of queen Hapshetsut. (But that is another story…) Perhaps going back further than that. My point is that if this was just a thing of the mind, or a feeling, would it have been so prevalent before there were any media attention about it? Or was the media attention a result of so many people identifying as the opposite gender from what they were born as? One would never know, but can only speculate. It gives cause to think, doesn’t it?

I am going to get a little personal today and share a little about me. Yesterday went well…I and my kids and spouse spent the day with my parents for Thanksgiving. Before you think it was a disaster, let me tell you that it was a very good day, and we got along fine. The problem is that my parents are stuck in the past where I was still pretending to be a woman/girl. They are still not accepting me as my gender identity, but rather as their “little girl”. My dad referred to me as his daughter, and that I always will be his daughter in his mind. My mom refuses to give me any name at all–at least to my face. Who knows what she says when I am not around?

And did I stick up for myself? Would it have helped? Who knows? I have done that before, and they are not willing to listen. I’ve told them over and over that I want them to call me by my preferred name, and to use male pronouns. And yet…nothing. I had a huge conversation with them–in my head. This morning. While still in bed. On my birthday, no less. It went something like this,

“Why can’t you just accept that I am living in the gender I identify as? Why do you have to be stuck in the past? You say that it is hard to accept…that it is a lot to take in. You know what I say about that? That is crap, and you know it! The only thing that is hard is the difference between you wanting to hold on to who I was pretending to be, and who I really am. You’re wanting to have me forget all this and go back to being your little girl. I never WAS your little girl! I never, ever saw myself as a girl! There was just no space to say anything in that neo-nazi Christian environment you forced me to be in! How the hell did you expect me to be happy?

“This is why I attempted suicide so many times! (Even more times than you knew. I tried so many times that didn’t have me end up in the hospital.) I was depressed…I had low self-esteem…I was miserable. And you worried about me then. Now you worry about me because I am being who I am, and you think I am destroying myself. I have never been happier as I am now. The only thing that I get angry at is you two, who won’t accept me for who I am! Why can’t you just let go of the stinking past, and forget about the ideal you are holding on to of me ever, ever going back to those ridiculous girly pretenses, just so you can be happy again? There is no way I would do that! No chance of me ever doing that!

“How hard would it be for you to just let go of that ideal you have of me, and just acknowledge me as your son? It is actually very simple. First, you need to just realize that you are holding on way too tightly, and it is causing all of us a lot of pain and suffering. Realize that you are costing love between us, and that this love lost is sapping the energy and well-being right out of all of our lives. Second, just declare that you are giving up the past, and your ideas of what you think I should be like. And last, declare that I am who I say I am–your son. Would that be so hard if you weren’t being so stubborn?”

What does this have to do with Trans Justice? Trans justice is about fairness and rights. It’s about letting people be who they are, and not who others say they have to be. Trans Justice is about empowering people to live in the gender they identify as–not about feelings…not about wishing–but about who they are deep at the core of their being. If Trans Justice isn’t fostered at home, how can we have Trans Justice in the world?? If Trans Justice is just thought about in passing as a “good idea”, then we will never have justice in the world for our Transgender community! This is not just a “good idea” people. Give others the space they need to be who they are and not what YOU want them to be! This is the beginnings of Trans Justice.

I love my parents. I love being with them when we get along. But it gets really hard when they don’t listen to me, or acknowledge that I ID as a guy. It hurts me deeply, and it feels like I can say nothing about it, for fear of alienating them from me. And if that happens, and one of them should pass on..it makes me sad to think of never having this resolved. And I know–I need to have this conversation with them.  And I will…soon.

Remember: Trans Justice isn’t just a theory or a good idea. It begins with you–stop judging, and start acknowledging others for being who they are!

For all people, regardless of whether you celebrate this holiday or not, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Since today is Thanksgiving, I thought I would give a brief history of the holiday–the real version, not the watered down, happy ending version. Though people associate this day by giving thanks to the Christian God, it is actually a secular holiday. In fact, the Spaniards celebrated this day in 1598–a bit before the first European settlers had a chance to do so. Here is a statement from Wikipedia about this: “The city of El Paso, Texas claims the first thanksgiving was held in what is now known as the United States, but it was not a harvest celebration. Spaniard Don Juan de Oñate ordered his expedition party to rest and conducted a mass celebration of thanksgiving on April 30, 1598.”

The next historically recorded feast was in 1619 at the Berkeley Hundred, about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown. 38 English settlers had landed there.  The group’s charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a “day of thanksgiving” to God. Soon after they landed there, the Indian Massacre of 1622 killed nine of the settlers at Berkeley Hundred, as well as about a third of the entire population of the Virginia Colony. The Berkeley Hundred site and other outlying locations were abandoned as the colonists withdrew to Jamestown and other more secure points.

The traditional version of the Thanksgiving feast happened in 1622 at the Plymouth Plantation. At the time, this was not regarded as a Thanksgiving observance; harvest festivals were existing parts of English and Wampanoag tradition alike. Interesting, isn’t it? That we have been celebrating a holiday for years thinking it was because of certain ideals, when it was really because of the harvest festivals prevalent at the time. It became a national holiday when President George Washington declared that we, as a nation, should, “acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor”. This is how it got to be associated with religion.

Now, what does this have to do with Transgender Justice? Actually, several things. One, discrimination. Two, agreement. And three, traditions.

Discrimination

Thanksgiving represents discrimination–to our Native American brothers and sisters. The only time that our ancestors actually were civil to them was at the Plymouth plantation. There was no other time in recorded history that they were ever shown any amount of decency. Many misunderstood cultures and “classes” of people are discriminated against, including, but not limited to:

1. Race/Culture/Color–There is no need to explain this one, right?

2. Age–Once a person reaches a certain age, in spite of how healthy they are, they are not allowed to do certain things, get proper insurance, etc. Even today, there are certain places that still do this.

3. Weight/Size–If we don’t fit the media portrayal of the “perfect size” we are discriminated against.

4. Sexual Orientation–Need I even give this one an explanation?

5. Gender Identity–This one gets the most discrimination because of how little is understood about this. (Adrian has a great article you can find here.)

Agreement

If someone in high authority or power says that we need to do something, we will generally do it, won’t we? Think about all the “war on terrorism” speeches.  Many people buy into this–why? Because they will agree with the “reasons” and the person who says it. If someone off the street told you to kill another person, would you do it? Probably not, because they are not in an “authority” to say it.

Another thing…if the government says that Transgender people are not worthy of discrimination protections, who do you think is going to agree with them, huh? Most of the people who do not understand that this is not in our heads, but a part of who we are.

Traditions

Traditions are about as long held as discriminations. If it is a tradition to prevent certain people from joining your club, then it is going to stay that way. No one wants to mess with traditions! I will talk more about this another time, as my time is about running out today. But…traditions = discrimination.

Today, while you are eating your great feast, remember this…Thanksgiving isn’t about the values you think it is about. It has its origins in discrimination and war. And while it is great to be with family, and/or friends, take time to think about your attitudes towards others who aren’t up to your “standards”, and how you treat them, as it is discrimination–something I am working very hard to fight against.

So, I thought I would share something a little less serious today, since I have been ranting for days about the “serious” things. The cartoon below is not mine, but is done by a wonderful FtM artist.

What happens when the preferred bathroom is out of order? Check this out:

…so sad…

Have you heard about the poll where some 70% of the LGBT Americans were in favor of passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act without the trans-inclusive language, rather than it not passing at all? Well, the Human Rights Campaign conducted that poll, and they are the organization that pulled out their support at the last minute so that the bill would go through without that all-too-important trans-inclusive language. And now, people are wanting to know: is that poll that they conducted valid? Here are some of the questions raised from the PrideSource website:

“What polling company conducted the poll?; What is the source of the 500 people questioned, and were they all HRC members?; What is the breakdown of the group - lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender?; What is the margin of error?”

HRC was part of a larger group of 360 LGBT organizations in support of the trans-inclusive language, and had pulled out their support in favor of passing the bill without, as stated above. One has to wonder–was this poll an attempt to show that they had more support than they actually did? And, did they really ask Transgendered people what they thought of the revised bill? More than likely, they did not. More importantly, why would they take out their support of a bill that would give all of us the same rights as everyone else? As they are the Human RIGHTS Campaign, wouldn’t it make sense to support something that will give everyone RIGHTS?

On the day of the bill passing without the trans-inclusive language, my spouse became very outraged, and wrote a scathing e-mail, with many valid points, to the HRC. He has allowed me to post this here for all to read:

“Because you have not lived up to your name of supporting Human Rights I will not be contributing to your campaign nor endorsing your work.

Laws need to be passed for all Humans, not specific sub-categories. But even if sub-categories are to be singled out then by your giving up on Transgender in ENDA you are saying that it is ok that it is legal for discrimination against this segment of humanity.

One step for SOME of humanity is not what I thought HRC was about…Obviously you don’t believe in your own name.

Transgender as a group has a small voice. It is growing. HRC’s actions during ENDA will be remembered.“

Now, here is the reply he received back from them, which is a complete cop-out of what they wanted us to believe about their organization:

“We understand your concern and anger at the situation; HRC acknowledges that this ENDA bill that passed the House is an important first step to fight workplace discrimination and we are not in anyway celebratory of the fact that our transgender brothers and sisters were not included in this bill. We want you to know that we will not stop fighting for the inclusion of gender identity in ENDA.

Although we decided to support this version of ENDA in the final hour, throughout the entire process our goal was to have a fully inclusive bill go to the floor. The disagreement on strategies by advocates for equality should not make us question each other’s commitment to the common goal of getting protection for all members of our community. The truth is our real enemies will stop at nothing to prevent equality from moving forward for GLBT people.  That the extreme right wing is doing all they can to lobby for the defeat of ENDA, but it has nothing to do with whether or not it includes gender identity. Their goal is to simply have our movement fail and for ENDA to die in Congress, which would severely hinder any chance of protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans. 

While the bill Congress passed this week was not the bill we wanted, the Human Rights Campaign decided to stay at the table with Congress to ensure that millions of Americans receive the protections they deserve, and because passage of this bill is a first and absolutely necessary step toward preventing discrimination based on gender identity. Very soon, HRC will launch a new initiative to ramp up efforts on educating Congress on the importance of including gender identity in ENDA and protecting the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

HRC continues to break down barriers in the corporate world through our Workplace Project.  This year a record 195 major U.S. businesses earned the top rating of 100 percent on our Corporate Equality Index, and for the first time, a majority of rated firms - 58 percent - provide employment protections on the basis of gender identity.

The bottom line: The commitment of HRC’s Board of Directors for a fully inclusive bill has not changed.  Because HRC stayed at the table, something we will continue to do, we were able to secure an unprecedented commitment from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  Without a doubt, the only path to achieving a bill protecting our whole community was by securing passage on this historic vote.

After twelve years of hostile leadership, we have come so far and changed so many hearts and minds. Only a year ago, it never seemed possible that we could pass any GLBT legislation.  For the first time in history, both houses of Congress passed a hate crimes bill, and for the first time ever a workplace anti-discrimination law passed in the House. Even a year ago, we could not imagine this coming to fruition.  Our fight will not be won overnight; it will be won one step at a time.

Whether or not you stand with HRC, we hope that you will continue to take action in the fight for equality for the entire GLBT community.“

I read it first when he forwarded this crap to me, and was appalled then at the apparent lack of passion, and the obvious attempt at making themselves look good to the public. Reading it again now makes me even more upset with the way they have handled things. Really–how hard would it have been to actually support the fully inclusive bill, stood their ground, and then went back in a year to keep fighting for it? In this way, they would have had the respect of Congress, the entire LGBT community, especially the Transgendered community, and they would have been able to go back even stronger next year. There is more integrity in standing for a cause than there is in backing down when things get tough. In this way–the way they did this–they said to the entire world that we as a “sub-community” are less than human, and we don’t really need these protections like everyone else does. Like our issues aren’t that important, and that we should just sit down, shut up and take it!

Well here is one Tranny Boi who will not sit down and shutup! HRC–you messed up and you know it. You should be ashamed of your actions as an organization in Congress. And no amount of pre-formulated crap that you are using to “justify” your actions will fix what you did that day.

“There is nothing new under the sun.” A very old saying that may have some ring of truth to it. In every generation, there has always been people who were born to break the rules of strict gender roles. And there have always been people who don’t care what those roles are, and will do what they want to do, or feel that they need to do. Though this seems a new oddity in our culture, this has really been going on for millenia; only, not many people knew about it, nor did they understand what this really was. Female-bodied individuals always have “infiltrated” the “men’s” world by dressing in male clothing, and living as men. Today, this would be classified as “Gender Identity Disorder”. Then, it was just a woman living as a man. Or, more as was the case, a man living a normal life, then found out at death, or during a medical physical.

Every Monday, I will be posting the profile of a notable FTM transgender man that have made notable contributions to the world throughout history. Not much is known of these heroic individuals before the medieval period, but even in ancient times, there have been female bodied individuals who have lived as men, identified as men, and have transitioned, as best as possible, to presenting as men. For example, the Roman author, Pliny, witnessed one such transition and wrote that, “A transformation of females to males is not an idle story.” Apparently, this was known about long before there were any standards of care, or rules, or laws about Transgender issues. Generations before this, in fact. Not much is said, however, about theses courageous people before sometime in the 16^th century.

One such individual was Dr. James Berry, born Miranda Stuart in 1795. He entered medical school as a boy at the age of ten, then went on to become the first doctor to perform the first successful Caesarean section, where both the mother and child lived. He also served in the military, going on to become the Inspector-General of the British Army Medical Corps. He died in 1865, where it was found that he was anatomically female. However, this was denied by his medical colleagues. Gee—I wonder why?

Click here to learn more about FTM HIStory.

I had to do it–I had to regurgitate this topic, didn’t I? But maybe it needs to be talked about over and over until everyone on this planet gets it–Gender Identity is NOT the same as Sexual Orientation! Let me repeat myself.  Gender Identity is NOT the same as Sexual Orientation!! Here’s why:

Sexual orientation is who you are attracted to, and Gender identity is who you identify as when it comes to gender. Pretty simple, huh? Apparently not, if so many people still confuse the two. Let me break it down further.
Gender Identity has nothing to do with a person’s genitals, but everything to do with how a person sees themselves–deep down in the core. Base identity. An example, when you were 4 years old, and you were born as a male, did you see yourself as a boy or a girl? And if you saw yourself as a boy, then there was no problem. But if you saw yourself as a girl, and wondered why people were treating you as a boy–big problem! This is gender identity–not sexual orientation.

Sexual orientation comes along a little later in people’s lives. It could show up around 7 or it could be a lot later, depending on how conservative of liberal the environment is. Humans are sexual creatures no matter what we believe, or how we want to approach it. And sexual preferences will come out–eventually. Who turns you on, when, and where are inevitable and will come out sooner or later. This is not the same as Gender Identity. This is about romantic feelings, some part of body chemistry, and who you choose as a life partner, whether it ends up being a same-sex union, or a hetero union. This is sexual orientation.

So–simple, right? Then why is it that when people find out I am transgender, they get all nervous and fidgety? I know–people don’t understand this, most people have no clue what it involves, what it is, etc. But then, there are the conservative Christians who shy away from me, because they lump it all into the “homosexual” category. It’s all sin according to the churches. Many churches are even silent about Transgender issues. Are they silent because they have no idea what it is, or are they silent because they simply assume it’s the same thing as homosexuality?

As a recap–gender identity is not the same as sexual orientation. If you can wrap your mind around this, it will do a lot for the issues that have stopped ENDA from including trans inclusive language, and for all the other issues I will be talking about here. Some gay men have actually been born in female bodies, who have transitioned to presenting as the gender they identified as. Some lesbian women have been born in male bodies, who have transitioned to presenting as the gender they identified as. Most transgender people start out appearing homosexual, but are completely straight–just in the wrong body presentation. Sexuality has nothing to do with gender identity–get that, and every other issue about Transgendered people will be pointless.

ENDA, while the voting is over for now, is far from being over. While it may be over for the LG and B of the alphabet soup, it is definitely not over for the T. I wanted to give you a brief recap of what happened with our “friend in court”, Barney Frank, during this time.

From Congressman Barney Frank, who voted against the trans-inclusive language in ENDA:

“The millions of people that talk openly and to take on the prejudice against people who are transgendered is newer. It is also the case that prejudice begins with people reacting against those who are different from them in some way. People are rarely prejudiced against their clones. So we have this situation where there is more prejudice in this society today against people who are transgendered than against people who are gay and lesbian, partly because we have been working longer at dealing with the sex orientation prejudice; partly because the greater the difference, the greater the prejudice is to start, the more people fail to identify, the more they are put off by differences, especially when those differences come in matters of the greatest personal intimacy.

“So where we are today is that earlier this year, after years of our introducing the bill which we call ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to ban discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation, we added this year for the first time a provision that would also have banned discrimination based on gender identity as we have designated it, i.e., against people who are transgendered. We began dealing with the transgender issue earlier in the context of the hate crimes legislation, and legislating against hate crimes, it’s easier to do than sexual orientation. It is less intrusive, and it is easier to make the argument that assaulting people and destroying their property is wrong than it is to say that refusing to hire them is wrong. I think they’re both wrong, but obviously, there is a distinction in this society. One is a serious criminal issue; one becomes civil.”

He spoke in defense of Transgender issues, yet he voted against it—why? Here is why:

“I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit. …would he consider my making a unanimous consent request to change this to a “motion of forthwith,” so the House could simply adopt this “forthwith” and go to dinner? So the purpose here, the intent, perhaps not the purpose, but the unmistakable intent would be to put this off until after we are due to adjourn November 16. And for what purpose? For the purpose of restating what has already been stated.”

“If there was a real need to do this, it would be now part of the law and we would be voting. It is “promptly” because it adds nothing to the bill, nothing, literally nothing; it subtracts nothing. It is simply a motion to delay. I was ready to yield to make this “forthwith” so this extra language which does nothing could be added. But if you don’t do that, as they won’t, and you vote for this, you are killing this bill. Understand that. Nine days later it is too late for this bill and we are out of this. So I will close with this. Yes, this is personal. There are people who are your fellow citizens being discriminated against. We have a simple bill that says you can go to work and be judged on how you work and not be penalized. Please don’t turn your back on them.”

(To read more of this article, go to Mr. Frank’s website.)

Basically, our “friend in court” sold out, because he didn’t want to have the entire bill be rejected, because the trans-inclusive language was tripping others up, making it risk not passing, due to time constraints. So, instead of taking a stand in court for those of us he began taking a stand for in the earlier months, he gave up his stand, so that he and the rest of the Lesbian and Gay community could get what they wanted—maybe coming back for us later. It seems that he was ready to have this over with, rather than fight for what was right for all people—not just for his own personal agenda.

My question to you, Mr. Frank: “Can you sleep at night for what you did to all of us Transgender Americans you shut out of the protections from the idiots who employ us? Can you deal with the loophole you gave them? So, basically—what you are saying is that if I am gay, I can work without fear of being discriminated against now. But, if it was found out that I was a transgender gay man, there would be nothing to protect me, based on my gender identity? That’s essentially what you did, and I really hope you can live with yourself.”

Justice for Transgendered individuals, as well as the Transgendered community. It’s about uniting the community in one voice to tell others that we will NOT take the crap they dish out to us anymore. It’s about seeing that we get the same rights as the rest of the human race get access to. It’s about time we get our issues to the forefront of society to give our issues and needs the attention they deserve.

Don’t think so? Let me ask you something: when was the last time you went to the doctor for anything, such as a cold, viral infection, or even a sprained ankle? Did your insurance refuse to pay because they classified it as “SRS Related”? No? Then you have rights that any Trans-identified person who has had medical treatment that was trans-related do not. A person who has had any kind of treatment, including therapy and hormones, cannot go to a doctor for an un-related issue and expect insurance to pay for it. Why? Heck if I know, but once a person goes through treatment for “gender identity disorder”, everything else is fair game for the insurance companies to deny any other claim, basing it on it being “SRS related”.

Here’s another right that most people take for granted: Equal Employment Opportunities. Most people don’t have certain issues where they can be discriminated against, because it is law that people cannot be discriminated against for the following reasons:

1. Sex
2. Race
3. Religion
4. Color
5. National Origin
6. Age
7. Disability, and thanks to ENDA,
8. Sexual Orientation

What happened to gender identity? What happened to fairness for ALL humans, whether we agree with them or not??

Recently, there was a sweet victory for Gay and Lesbian Americans, but not for Trans-Identified Americans. (Or anyone else on that huge spectrum!) ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, went to Congress on Thursday and was passed, but without the gender identity language. So, even our gay brothers and sisters get protections…but what about the Transgender community? However, I find it interesting that most of our Gay and Lesbian brothers and sisters say that they are “ok” with this. WHY?

This is the kind of environment that we are living in. Where people are only concerned for issues that concern them, and stop caring for the plight of others. It’s like they said to us, “You go and stall them, while we get away. Then, we may come back for you sometime in the next few years. Until then, try doing the best you can to keep your head up and don’t get discouraged now. We’ll be back!”

While I can say more about this, and I will in later posts, the point I want to make is that the Time for Transgender Justice is NOW! And whether you like it or not, this Tranny Boi has a voice, and it will sound out strong, loud and proud!