The road to passing federal legislation can be long and arduous, and to some extent this is simply the nature of the beast – the beast, in this case, being our national legislature. We do well to remember, however, that while we are waiting and working to overcome this or that procedural hurdle in Congress, transgender Americans are facing blatant discrimination right now.
Case in point: today the New York-based Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund filed a complaint with the Florida Human Relations Commission on behalf of Zikerria Bellamy, a young trans woman in Orlando. Zikerria applied for a job at a local McDonald’s in July, but she never got an interview. Instead, she got a vicious transphobic voice mail message from a McDonald’s manager, stating that they would never hire someone like her.
Legislation to protect transgender workers from this kind of discrimination has been proposed, but not yet passed, in both the city of Orlando and the Florida legislature. The state’s Human Relations Commission has permitted transgender workers to bring complaints under the state’s sex discrimination law in the past, and Zikerria is seeking protection under that law.
What’s unambiguously clear, however, is that Zikerria would have been protected by ENDA if it had been on the books. Right now, Congressional leaders are preparing to rush through a package of measures intended to create and preserve jobs, which they hope to pass before the end of the month. Yet whatever Congress does to address the current unemployment crisis will be incomplete so long as transgender people remain unemployed at twice the rate of the general population. Until ENDA is passed, transgender people face a kind of permanent recession. With each delay on ENDA, more LGBT people will lose or be denied jobs because of ignorance and bias. We need to mobilize for this bill like our lives, or at least our livelihoods, depend on it – because they do.
Showing posts with label ENDA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ENDA. Show all posts
Monday, December 07, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
ENDA Markup Postponed
Chairman George Miller of the House Education and Labor Committee temporarily postponed Wednesday’s mark up on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in order to finalize some legal and technical issues with the bill. A new date will be set after the Thanksgiving recess.
Attorneys and advocates from NCTE and other the LGBT organizations have been working closely with committee staff on the legal aspects of the bill; in fact, we’re talking with them daily. There are still a few technicalities that do need to be finalized before a successful mark up can be held. Those supporting the bill, including Chairman Miller, want to ensure that, once passed, ENDA will absolutely stand up in a court of law, and be as airtight as possible, so that even conservative anti-LGBT judges won’t find it easy to whittle away at ENDA.
Some of the questions that are being discussed are:
We need to keep up the great work calling members of Congress. Wednesday is our national call-in day, so call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask to speak to your Representative (have your zip code handy and they'll help identify your member of the U.S. House).
When you are connected with your Representative's office, give your name and your city and then let them know: "I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H. R. 3017/S. 1584), which will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. No one deserves to be fired from their job because of who they are. Please vote yes for ENDA."
Thanks!
Attorneys and advocates from NCTE and other the LGBT organizations have been working closely with committee staff on the legal aspects of the bill; in fact, we’re talking with them daily. There are still a few technicalities that do need to be finalized before a successful mark up can be held. Those supporting the bill, including Chairman Miller, want to ensure that, once passed, ENDA will absolutely stand up in a court of law, and be as airtight as possible, so that even conservative anti-LGBT judges won’t find it easy to whittle away at ENDA.
Some of the questions that are being discussed are:
- Double recovery, so people cannot recover damages under two different provisions of federal law at the same time, which is never allowed;
- Attorneys fees;
- Disparate impact (You can read more about the legalese of disparate impact in Harper Jean’s September blog entry: The Disparate Impact Non-Issue.)
We need to keep up the great work calling members of Congress. Wednesday is our national call-in day, so call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask to speak to your Representative (have your zip code handy and they'll help identify your member of the U.S. House).
When you are connected with your Representative's office, give your name and your city and then let them know: "I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H. R. 3017/S. 1584), which will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. No one deserves to be fired from their job because of who they are. Please vote yes for ENDA."
Thanks!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The Disparate Impact Non-Issue
At last week’s House Education and Labor Committee hearing on ENDA, witness Camille Olsen, an attorney who represents employers, raised several questions about what she characterized as ambiguities in the bill. Among the points Olson raised was the question of “disparate impact” claims under ENDA. Olson’s technical arguments were potentially confusing even for an attorney like myself, so it’s worth trying to explain them in plain English.
Under existing employment discrimination laws, there are two types of unlawful discrimination claims. “Disparate treatment” cases are where there is evidence of intentional discrimination by the employer. Vandy Beth Glenn suffered a classic case of disparate treatment when her boss fired her for the stated reason that she was transitioning from male to female. The principle of “disparate impact” is different: an employer may not take actions that have the overall effect of excluding a group of people, unless there is a sufficient reason to do so. For example, height and weight requirements have a disparate impact on women because (even though some women would meet them) they tend, on average, to exclude more women than men. Unless an employer can demonstrate a sound reason for using these requirements, they will be deemed discriminatory.
The law of disparate impact has been a powerful tool for promoting the inclusion of women and minority groups in the workplace. Some conservatives, however, oppose it because they view it as a form of “reverse discrimination.” Justice Antonin Scalia even speculated earlier this year that disparate impact laws could be unconstitutional. Because it has become something of a political football, disparate impact would be a sticking point under any new antidiscrimination law. But as Rep. Robert Andrews pointed out at the hearing, it would be hard to think of a situation where a disparate impact claim could be brought under ENDA. (No short men or tall women? No Streisand fans need apply?) So, to avoid distracting debates on the subject, ENDA states that “Only disparate treatment claims may be brought under this Act.” That seems plenty clear to us. But Olson suggested that ENDA needs, well, added redundancy: to provide in so many words that disparate impact claims are barred, and that “disparate impact” means that same thing it does under every other law. Of course, as Acting EEOC Chair Stuart Ishimaru stated at the hearing, that’s really not needed: read in context, the bill is already crystal clear.
Like many of the other questions that have been raised about ENDA, this one is really a non-issue. We can expect to see more such non-issues raised in the weeks ahead.
Under existing employment discrimination laws, there are two types of unlawful discrimination claims. “Disparate treatment” cases are where there is evidence of intentional discrimination by the employer. Vandy Beth Glenn suffered a classic case of disparate treatment when her boss fired her for the stated reason that she was transitioning from male to female. The principle of “disparate impact” is different: an employer may not take actions that have the overall effect of excluding a group of people, unless there is a sufficient reason to do so. For example, height and weight requirements have a disparate impact on women because (even though some women would meet them) they tend, on average, to exclude more women than men. Unless an employer can demonstrate a sound reason for using these requirements, they will be deemed discriminatory.
The law of disparate impact has been a powerful tool for promoting the inclusion of women and minority groups in the workplace. Some conservatives, however, oppose it because they view it as a form of “reverse discrimination.” Justice Antonin Scalia even speculated earlier this year that disparate impact laws could be unconstitutional. Because it has become something of a political football, disparate impact would be a sticking point under any new antidiscrimination law. But as Rep. Robert Andrews pointed out at the hearing, it would be hard to think of a situation where a disparate impact claim could be brought under ENDA. (No short men or tall women? No Streisand fans need apply?) So, to avoid distracting debates on the subject, ENDA states that “Only disparate treatment claims may be brought under this Act.” That seems plenty clear to us. But Olson suggested that ENDA needs, well, added redundancy: to provide in so many words that disparate impact claims are barred, and that “disparate impact” means that same thing it does under every other law. Of course, as Acting EEOC Chair Stuart Ishimaru stated at the hearing, that’s really not needed: read in context, the bill is already crystal clear.
Like many of the other questions that have been raised about ENDA, this one is really a non-issue. We can expect to see more such non-issues raised in the weeks ahead.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
ENDA: Why state discrimination matters
At last week's House hearing on ENDA, not just one but two witnesses testified specifically to the existence of longstanding and widespread discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity by state governments. Yale Law Professor William Eskridge recounted the historical campaigns of exposure and exclusion of LGBT public employees. And UCLA Law Professor Brad Sears summarized an extensive new report by the Williams Institute on the past and present extent of state employment discrimination. Why so much attention to state employees, who make up less than 5% of the American workforce are currently more likely to be protected under state law than private-sector workers?
The answer lies in a peculiar series of U.S. Supreme Court rulings over the last fifteen years. Those cases have sharply limited the compensation available to public employees under federal civil rights laws, on the theory that state governments possess "sovereign immunity" from employees' claims. For example, the high court held in 1991 that state workers fired because of a disability could not obtain back pay, even though it was specifically guaranteed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The justices reasoned that Congress did not muster sufficient evidence that discrimination against state employees in particular was a widespread problem that would justify subjecting states to lawsuits. While Congress, civil rights advocates and most legal scholars were incensed, this special requirement has hung over many civil rights laws ever since, threatening to create a substantial hole in legal protections. (An article I wrote in my previous job discusses these legal doctrines in more depth.)
Because much of the discrimination suffered by LGBT workers occurs in the public sector - such as the blatantly discriminatory firing of Vandy Beth Glenn by the Georgia legislature - ENDA's drafters and supporters have taken great pains to ensure that state workers are fully protected. This is being done by two methods. First, ENDA specifically requires that state governments waive any immunity from lawsuits as a condition of continuing to receive federal program funds - an approach that has been effective under a number of other laws. Second, the Williams Institute lays the foundation for what may be the most extensive congressional record ever concerning employment discrimination by states.
If this sounds like a lot of technical hoops to jump through, that's because it is: these legal doctrines, invented by a narrow majority of the Supreme Court, create rigid and artificial barriers to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of LGBT employees - and indeed, of all employees. But for the moment, these are the rules of the game, and it is a testament to the dedication of our Congressional allies, and the researchers at the Williams Institute, that no stone is being left unturned to ensure that no transgender worker is left unprotected.
The answer lies in a peculiar series of U.S. Supreme Court rulings over the last fifteen years. Those cases have sharply limited the compensation available to public employees under federal civil rights laws, on the theory that state governments possess "sovereign immunity" from employees' claims. For example, the high court held in 1991 that state workers fired because of a disability could not obtain back pay, even though it was specifically guaranteed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The justices reasoned that Congress did not muster sufficient evidence that discrimination against state employees in particular was a widespread problem that would justify subjecting states to lawsuits. While Congress, civil rights advocates and most legal scholars were incensed, this special requirement has hung over many civil rights laws ever since, threatening to create a substantial hole in legal protections. (An article I wrote in my previous job discusses these legal doctrines in more depth.)
Because much of the discrimination suffered by LGBT workers occurs in the public sector - such as the blatantly discriminatory firing of Vandy Beth Glenn by the Georgia legislature - ENDA's drafters and supporters have taken great pains to ensure that state workers are fully protected. This is being done by two methods. First, ENDA specifically requires that state governments waive any immunity from lawsuits as a condition of continuing to receive federal program funds - an approach that has been effective under a number of other laws. Second, the Williams Institute lays the foundation for what may be the most extensive congressional record ever concerning employment discrimination by states.
If this sounds like a lot of technical hoops to jump through, that's because it is: these legal doctrines, invented by a narrow majority of the Supreme Court, create rigid and artificial barriers to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of LGBT employees - and indeed, of all employees. But for the moment, these are the rules of the game, and it is a testament to the dedication of our Congressional allies, and the researchers at the Williams Institute, that no stone is being left unturned to ensure that no transgender worker is left unprotected.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Schroer case shows why we need ENDA
After four years of fighting in court under the last Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice decided last month not to appeal Diane Schroer’s landmark victory in her discrimination suit against the Library of Congress. Diane, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and counterterrorism expert, was offered a position at the Library for which she highly qualified, only to have that offer rescinded on the basis of her gender transition.
The decision not to appeal was not really a surprise, coming as it did only days after a White House memorandum that is expected to lead to clearer protections for transgender federal employees. What happened to Diane should never have happened in the first place. Like the rapidly growing number of private employers with explicit nondiscrimination policies on the subject, most federal officials making hiring decisions today would realize that a person’s gender identity or expression is irrelevant to their ability to serve their government. They would realize that what happened to Diane is exactly the kind of irrational, non-merit- based discrimination that the Civil Service Act has long prohibited. Indeed, Diane wouldn’t have been the first out transgender person to work for a federal agency, or even for the Library of Congress.
But the blatant discrimination Diane experienced did happen, and that’s not surprising either. Most employers, even large ones, don’t yet have clear antidiscrimination policies, nor do most states or cities. Even with public and private employers alike increasingly recognizing that gender identity is irrelevant in the workplace, there are outliers, managers who are motivated to discriminate by ignorance or bias. That’s why, even with Diane Schroer winning in court, we need clear guidelines for the federal workforce. It’s why, ultimately, we need ENDA: to set a clear, consistent, national policy that in this country we do not discriminate based on gender identity, any more than we discriminate on the basis of religion, age, race, or disability. Passing ENDA won’t end discrimination once and for all – there will still be lawsuits like Diane’s. But it will establish unambiguously what most Americans already believe: that this kind of discrimination is never acceptable.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Frustation about ENDA
On our daily conference call about ENDA today, one of the members of our community expressed a frustration that I’ve been feeling for some time. We hear from members of Congress that transgender people have not yet done as much work educating them and their colleagues on issues of gender identity as gay and lesbian people have around sexual orientation. Therefore, they argue, they just aren’t ready to vote for civil rights for transgender people. This seems to me to be a way of passing the buck, of blaming the disenfranchised for their lack of rights.
Those of us who have called our legislators, who have met with them and who have worked hard on educating them are rightfully frustrated. It may feel like our best efforts have been in vain. We’ve told our stories of friends and loved ones killed, of jobs we didn’t get or being fired for no other reason than who we are. It is incredibly painful to think it hasn’t been enough. Yet.
However, we need to remember that our work to educate members of Congress—and members of the LGBT community—have actually made an enormous difference. I truly believe that we would not be having this conversation at all, that we wouldn’t be on anyone’s agenda, if we had not been diligent in the work we have done so far. Nor would the House of Representatives passed a transgender inclusive hate crimes bill this session without the work we’ve done to educate them.
Thinking about this today has led to two conclusions. First, we absolutely must continue to do the work we are doing. We need to redouble our efforts to get people to Washington for our annual lobby day. We must continue to visit our legislators when they are in the home offices, sharing our stories, letting them know exactly why we need civil rights protections and what the stakes are for transgender people, our loved ones and families. We have to encourage each other to come out and speak up for our rights. We need each and every voice to be heard.
Second, we also need to remember that role of Congress isn’t to award rights to those who make the most noise, have the largest cadre of lobbyists or are the biggest group. Their job is to enact laws in keeping with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For transgender people, that means working for a country where we too have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In order to achieve that, we need to be free of violence and discrimination. Passing a transgender-inclusive ENDA wouldn’t fix that overnight, but it would be a step along the way.
Those of us who have called our legislators, who have met with them and who have worked hard on educating them are rightfully frustrated. It may feel like our best efforts have been in vain. We’ve told our stories of friends and loved ones killed, of jobs we didn’t get or being fired for no other reason than who we are. It is incredibly painful to think it hasn’t been enough. Yet.
However, we need to remember that our work to educate members of Congress—and members of the LGBT community—have actually made an enormous difference. I truly believe that we would not be having this conversation at all, that we wouldn’t be on anyone’s agenda, if we had not been diligent in the work we have done so far. Nor would the House of Representatives passed a transgender inclusive hate crimes bill this session without the work we’ve done to educate them.
Thinking about this today has led to two conclusions. First, we absolutely must continue to do the work we are doing. We need to redouble our efforts to get people to Washington for our annual lobby day. We must continue to visit our legislators when they are in the home offices, sharing our stories, letting them know exactly why we need civil rights protections and what the stakes are for transgender people, our loved ones and families. We have to encourage each other to come out and speak up for our rights. We need each and every voice to be heard.
Second, we also need to remember that role of Congress isn’t to award rights to those who make the most noise, have the largest cadre of lobbyists or are the biggest group. Their job is to enact laws in keeping with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For transgender people, that means working for a country where we too have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In order to achieve that, we need to be free of violence and discrimination. Passing a transgender-inclusive ENDA wouldn’t fix that overnight, but it would be a step along the way.
Monday, November 05, 2007
ENDA Update Monday, November 5, 2007
All signs on the Hill today are that Congressional Leadership plans to send the divisive ENDA that the LGBT community opposes to the floor for a vote tomorrow. We do not have all the particulars just yet, such as whether the Baldwin Amendment will be allowed. This means that we probably have less than 24 hours to express our opinions to members of Congress. We will provide more information when it is available.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
ENDA Update from Mara
There hasn't been much in the way of news to report. We are beginning the sixth week of this ENDA situation or crisis or opportunity. A huge amount of education has been done. Quite actually tens of thousands of people have been engaged. And we are basically where we were at the beginning-our best allies in Congress with strong support from HRC still seem determined to jam a civil rights bill through the House of Representatives that virtually every LGBT organization, including HRC, says they do not want.
Because of the Congressional calendar for this fall, we are one way or another coming to resolution. At least for now.
My best estimation is that sometime today (possibly even before you read this) or tomorrow a decision will be made by House leadership as to whether to run H.R. 3685 and whether to first allow the Baldwin Amendment to be debated and/or voted on.
Until then, we are encouraging all of our members to visit their local Congressperson today or tomorrow to express one last time the need to pass a unified ENDA. We must convey the need to stop the divisive HR 3685 and move a unified ENDA or nothing. Mend it or end it. Fix it or nix it.
At this point in the train wreck though, the truth is that no real victory is possible for anyone-not this round. If they pass the divided and divisive bill, the vast majority of us in LGBT-land are disappointed. We are not and will not be divided because very few LGBT organizations are not on the United ENDA side in this. Some fringe-we are almost the whole cloth of the community. More importantly, our collective federal, state, and local work is set back years. No ENDA, despite how hard the House leadership tries to push the divisive ENDA at us, is going to become law this year. There is no incremental gain possible. First, the bill will not be signed into law thus no gain, and second, the incremental gain would be most like the incremental gain promised when Don't Ask Don't Tell was similarly shoved down the throats of a, to say the least, reluctant LGBT community. Mere weeks and months after that fiasco, it was clear to almost everyone what a harmful ill-conceived increment that was. About 15 years of work still hasn't undone that damage.
We know that the unified and inclusive bill (H.R. 2015) is off the table for this year, so passing that is very much not an option at this point. The Baldwin Amendment is apparently off the table. But even if the Amendment were still open for discussion, some LGBT supporters in Congress and our community have done such a thorough job of undermining the work that we all have been doing that it has become barely a long shot to pass it. [Still, as of now, it is unclear if the Baldwin Amendment would be allowed by House leadership. One thought is that Ms. Baldwin may be permitted to introduce her Amendment and speak on its behalf, then withdraw it prior to a vote. On the one hand, having Tammy Baldwin and other supporters speak about the need for gender identity protections would be helpful in concept; on the other hand, it would unlikely be sufficiently helpful to undo the damage caused by passing the divisive bill minutes later.]
If the bill is pulled for now so that we can work together on a unified bill, that too is hardly a victory. Relationships have been strained tremendously, resources and political capital have been expended needlessly and we all go back to square one minus several. However, this is still the best option. Our goal has to be moving the ball forward to pass a bill that will protect all of us and until the divisive bill has been pulled from consideration, we cannot begin again working together to pass such a unified bill
Any victory by anyone at this point would be utterly pyrrhic.
The only victory to come from this crisis has been the advancement (albeit incremental) of the LGBT community message of solidarity and willingness to step up for social justice. Hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals have spoken strongly and clearly about the need for us to stick together to have the best chance of winning protections for all of us. That is a huge win. And I will be forever grateful for that.
Mara Keisling
Executive Director
National Center for Transgender Equality
Because of the Congressional calendar for this fall, we are one way or another coming to resolution. At least for now.
My best estimation is that sometime today (possibly even before you read this) or tomorrow a decision will be made by House leadership as to whether to run H.R. 3685 and whether to first allow the Baldwin Amendment to be debated and/or voted on.
Until then, we are encouraging all of our members to visit their local Congressperson today or tomorrow to express one last time the need to pass a unified ENDA. We must convey the need to stop the divisive HR 3685 and move a unified ENDA or nothing. Mend it or end it. Fix it or nix it.
At this point in the train wreck though, the truth is that no real victory is possible for anyone-not this round. If they pass the divided and divisive bill, the vast majority of us in LGBT-land are disappointed. We are not and will not be divided because very few LGBT organizations are not on the United ENDA side in this. Some fringe-we are almost the whole cloth of the community. More importantly, our collective federal, state, and local work is set back years. No ENDA, despite how hard the House leadership tries to push the divisive ENDA at us, is going to become law this year. There is no incremental gain possible. First, the bill will not be signed into law thus no gain, and second, the incremental gain would be most like the incremental gain promised when Don't Ask Don't Tell was similarly shoved down the throats of a, to say the least, reluctant LGBT community. Mere weeks and months after that fiasco, it was clear to almost everyone what a harmful ill-conceived increment that was. About 15 years of work still hasn't undone that damage.
We know that the unified and inclusive bill (H.R. 2015) is off the table for this year, so passing that is very much not an option at this point. The Baldwin Amendment is apparently off the table. But even if the Amendment were still open for discussion, some LGBT supporters in Congress and our community have done such a thorough job of undermining the work that we all have been doing that it has become barely a long shot to pass it. [Still, as of now, it is unclear if the Baldwin Amendment would be allowed by House leadership. One thought is that Ms. Baldwin may be permitted to introduce her Amendment and speak on its behalf, then withdraw it prior to a vote. On the one hand, having Tammy Baldwin and other supporters speak about the need for gender identity protections would be helpful in concept; on the other hand, it would unlikely be sufficiently helpful to undo the damage caused by passing the divisive bill minutes later.]
If the bill is pulled for now so that we can work together on a unified bill, that too is hardly a victory. Relationships have been strained tremendously, resources and political capital have been expended needlessly and we all go back to square one minus several. However, this is still the best option. Our goal has to be moving the ball forward to pass a bill that will protect all of us and until the divisive bill has been pulled from consideration, we cannot begin again working together to pass such a unified bill
Any victory by anyone at this point would be utterly pyrrhic.
The only victory to come from this crisis has been the advancement (albeit incremental) of the LGBT community message of solidarity and willingness to step up for social justice. Hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals have spoken strongly and clearly about the need for us to stick together to have the best chance of winning protections for all of us. That is a huge win. And I will be forever grateful for that.
Mara Keisling
Executive Director
National Center for Transgender Equality
Friday, October 19, 2007
Reaching your Representatives this weekend
Thank you to everyone for all you are doing to support a transgender inclusive ENDA! We need to stay in contact with our Representatives, even over the weekend.
You can read our latest Action Alert, with information about the Baldwin Amendment, here. Representative Tammy Baldwin is proposing an Amendment to restore gender identity to HR 3685, the non-inclusive ENDA. Please contact your Representatives to support this amendment. You call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak with your Representative.
One very effective way to communicate with members of Congress is to attend meetings or events in your district. Members of Congress often are in their districts on weekends and you can have an opportunity to share your thoughts with them when they make public appearances (the lingo for this is "bird dogging"). AIDSvote.org has a great resource guide for their activists and you can get ideas from them: http://www.aidsvote.org/downloads/BIRDDOGGING_101.pdf If you speak with your member of Congress, please report the results.
NCTE also has a web page focused just on ENDA at http://www.nctequality.org/ENDA.html.
We are making a difference on Capitol Hill and investing in our work for transgender equality now and in future years. Again, thank you for every call, letter, e-mail and conversation with a member of Congress.
You can read our latest Action Alert, with information about the Baldwin Amendment, here. Representative Tammy Baldwin is proposing an Amendment to restore gender identity to HR 3685, the non-inclusive ENDA. Please contact your Representatives to support this amendment. You call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak with your Representative.
One very effective way to communicate with members of Congress is to attend meetings or events in your district. Members of Congress often are in their districts on weekends and you can have an opportunity to share your thoughts with them when they make public appearances (the lingo for this is "bird dogging"). AIDSvote.org has a great resource guide for their activists and you can get ideas from them: http://www.aidsvote.org/downloads/BIRDDOGGING_101.pdf If you speak with your member of Congress, please report the results.
NCTE also has a web page focused just on ENDA at http://www.nctequality.org/ENDA.html.
We are making a difference on Capitol Hill and investing in our work for transgender equality now and in future years. Again, thank you for every call, letter, e-mail and conversation with a member of Congress.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Daily Update from Mara Keisling
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tomorrow morning at 10AM, United ENDA lobbyists, staff and volunteers will be on the Hill for the Education and Labor Committee's consideration of H.R.3685, which is the sexual orientation only bill that NCTE and so many other organizations oppose. The Committee is called a "mark up" because the committee takes the bill as it was written and introduced and makes changes to it by marking it up with a pen. At least they use to mark it up with a pen. Now they just call it mark up even though it's probably all done on Microsoft Word.
Note that I said that they will be considering H.R.3685 and not our preferred bill, H.R. 2015, which is the original inclusive version. According to the rules, they must give at least 24 hours notice as to what the committee is doing so that everyone can prepare. On Monday they "noticed" H.R. 3685 and not H.R. 2015, so they either mark up 3685 or nothing. I'm ambivalent.
NCTE, along with so many of our allies, is strongly opposed to 3685 and has asked members of the committee to not pass it. In a sense, we do not actually need a whole lot of votes to kill it in committee—only somewhere between 3-6 depending on who comes to work tomorrow. There are 49 members of the committee when they are all there (27 Dems and 22 Reps) and we think there are as many as 27-30 votes in the Committee in favor of some form of ENDA and 19-22 votes against any form of ENDA. So a swing of a handful of votes can make the difference.
That being said, in another sense 3-6 votes is a whole lot of votes in this context. There are a lot of very motivated fair-minded Congresspeople who really want to pass a civil rights bill and asking them to vote no is a very serious issue that can make people very uncomfortable. On top of that, they now have the Baldwin Amendment in the future so the calculation for some of them gets more complicated. Some who are totally transgender-supportive may believe that they can best advance transgender inclusion by voting Yes for the bill to get it out of committee so Ms. Baldwin's amendment can be voted on and trans people will be back in the bill. Others are convinced they must stand totally solid against ever voting for a bad bill like 3685 even if it might be fixed later. We'll see tomorrow how this unfolds in the morning.
I ran into Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) last evening in front of his office, which is next to Tammy Baldwin's. He has been and continues to be a very strong supporter of transgender and all LGBT rights. Also from that committee I need to give kudos to Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Congresswomen Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Linda Sanchez (D-CA) who all have been great spokespeople for our position.
Here is how crazy the last few weeks have been: my cell phone (actually a Blackberry-like Palm Treo) burned out. Stopped working. Quit. Last week it started overheating after so much use. One day I recharged it three times. Suddenly yesterday it was taking 20 minutes to download email, which is 25 minutes too long this week. I had to get a new Blackberry today, so that I could communicate tomorrow. I know for a lot of people, having email delivered to your phone probably seems like a luxury, but when you are in the Capitol in the middle of a legislative moment like this, you simply need to be in touch with so many people all at once, that you need your email instantaneously. So I bought a new Blackberry and now will struggle through the next few days with the typical problems you get from having new hardware. At least tomorrow in the committee markup, I'll be connected to my office and the other United ENDA people and Congressional staffers and even some of you who we will need to contact to make specific calls.
We will let everyone know as soon as possible when we know what happens in committee. For anyone in the DC area tomorrow, the mark up is being held at 10AM in Room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. It is open to the public and presumably won't be full, but who knows. If you plan on coming email me on my new Blackberry and I'll tell you how crowded it is.
Tomorrow morning at 10AM, United ENDA lobbyists, staff and volunteers will be on the Hill for the Education and Labor Committee's consideration of H.R.3685, which is the sexual orientation only bill that NCTE and so many other organizations oppose. The Committee is called a "mark up" because the committee takes the bill as it was written and introduced and makes changes to it by marking it up with a pen. At least they use to mark it up with a pen. Now they just call it mark up even though it's probably all done on Microsoft Word.
Note that I said that they will be considering H.R.3685 and not our preferred bill, H.R. 2015, which is the original inclusive version. According to the rules, they must give at least 24 hours notice as to what the committee is doing so that everyone can prepare. On Monday they "noticed" H.R. 3685 and not H.R. 2015, so they either mark up 3685 or nothing. I'm ambivalent.
NCTE, along with so many of our allies, is strongly opposed to 3685 and has asked members of the committee to not pass it. In a sense, we do not actually need a whole lot of votes to kill it in committee—only somewhere between 3-6 depending on who comes to work tomorrow. There are 49 members of the committee when they are all there (27 Dems and 22 Reps) and we think there are as many as 27-30 votes in the Committee in favor of some form of ENDA and 19-22 votes against any form of ENDA. So a swing of a handful of votes can make the difference.
That being said, in another sense 3-6 votes is a whole lot of votes in this context. There are a lot of very motivated fair-minded Congresspeople who really want to pass a civil rights bill and asking them to vote no is a very serious issue that can make people very uncomfortable. On top of that, they now have the Baldwin Amendment in the future so the calculation for some of them gets more complicated. Some who are totally transgender-supportive may believe that they can best advance transgender inclusion by voting Yes for the bill to get it out of committee so Ms. Baldwin's amendment can be voted on and trans people will be back in the bill. Others are convinced they must stand totally solid against ever voting for a bad bill like 3685 even if it might be fixed later. We'll see tomorrow how this unfolds in the morning.
I ran into Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) last evening in front of his office, which is next to Tammy Baldwin's. He has been and continues to be a very strong supporter of transgender and all LGBT rights. Also from that committee I need to give kudos to Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Congresswomen Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Linda Sanchez (D-CA) who all have been great spokespeople for our position.
Here is how crazy the last few weeks have been: my cell phone (actually a Blackberry-like Palm Treo) burned out. Stopped working. Quit. Last week it started overheating after so much use. One day I recharged it three times. Suddenly yesterday it was taking 20 minutes to download email, which is 25 minutes too long this week. I had to get a new Blackberry today, so that I could communicate tomorrow. I know for a lot of people, having email delivered to your phone probably seems like a luxury, but when you are in the Capitol in the middle of a legislative moment like this, you simply need to be in touch with so many people all at once, that you need your email instantaneously. So I bought a new Blackberry and now will struggle through the next few days with the typical problems you get from having new hardware. At least tomorrow in the committee markup, I'll be connected to my office and the other United ENDA people and Congressional staffers and even some of you who we will need to contact to make specific calls.
We will let everyone know as soon as possible when we know what happens in committee. For anyone in the DC area tomorrow, the mark up is being held at 10AM in Room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. It is open to the public and presumably won't be full, but who knows. If you plan on coming email me on my new Blackberry and I'll tell you how crowded it is.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Daily Update from Mara Keisling
Saturday, October 13
Obviously, I should probably share my take on what most of you have probably heard happened yesterday. In general, we rarely talk about specific things said at specific meetings by specific people. I'll adhere to that guideline here as well, but since so many others have talked about the meeting including at least one organization that began making media calls before the meeting actually occurred, I will give you my straight take on what it all means.
Nothing new happened in terms of which ENDA bill will be running.
For the last couple of weeks, we have been told that our allies in Congress were 1) intending to have a vote on the non-inclusive bill (H.R. 3685) that no one wants and no one thinks will become law, while 2) the inclusive bill (H.R. 2015) might someday get a vote if we could prove we have the votes. The offer made yesterday and apparently brokered by HRC (according to them) without input or knowledge from NCTE or any other LGBT organization is exactly the same: our allies in Congress are 1) intending to have a vote on the non-inclusive bill (H.R. 3685) that no one wants and no one thinks will become law, while 2) the inclusive bill (H.R. 2015) might someday get a vote if we can prove we have the votes. Sounds the same, doesn't it? If you feel confused, it's because there hasn't been a "new deal" put on the table. It has though apparently been officially brokered and announced by HRC this time.
HRC's "new deal" is entirely spin meant to undermine the unprecedented grassroots efforts of hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals in order to allow movement of their vanity bill that no one including Speaker Pelosi or Congressman Frank says they really want. Even HRC claims they don't want it even though they support it. Of course House leadership says they will hold a vote when there are sufficient votes, but it is our position (and the position of actual members of Congress) that there were sufficient votes three weeks ago. Yet the bill was pulled from consideration then and we have been promised that no vote will be held-that's what started this crisis. We have had and we do have the votes to pass H.R. 2015 and ask for a vote on this unified bill now.
We sincerely appreciate the work that the Speaker has put into advancing all LGBT rights and we acknowledge and treasure her commitment to seeing this through until the passage of rights for all of us. But we strongly disagree with and oppose this strategy. We oppose H.R. 3685 and believe taking Committee action on this bad bill is extremely harmful to our collective effort to win civil rights for all LGBT people.
NCTE is willing to hold double secret negotiations also to get this point across if that will help.
Mara Keisling
Executive Director
National Center for Transgender Equality
PS - We still need you to call your U.S. Representatives and tell them you want HR 2015 only. Get your friends, family, neighbors, etc. to do the same. If you have called once, then do it again now.
Obviously, I should probably share my take on what most of you have probably heard happened yesterday. In general, we rarely talk about specific things said at specific meetings by specific people. I'll adhere to that guideline here as well, but since so many others have talked about the meeting including at least one organization that began making media calls before the meeting actually occurred, I will give you my straight take on what it all means.
Nothing new happened in terms of which ENDA bill will be running.
For the last couple of weeks, we have been told that our allies in Congress were 1) intending to have a vote on the non-inclusive bill (H.R. 3685) that no one wants and no one thinks will become law, while 2) the inclusive bill (H.R. 2015) might someday get a vote if we could prove we have the votes. The offer made yesterday and apparently brokered by HRC (according to them) without input or knowledge from NCTE or any other LGBT organization is exactly the same: our allies in Congress are 1) intending to have a vote on the non-inclusive bill (H.R. 3685) that no one wants and no one thinks will become law, while 2) the inclusive bill (H.R. 2015) might someday get a vote if we can prove we have the votes. Sounds the same, doesn't it? If you feel confused, it's because there hasn't been a "new deal" put on the table. It has though apparently been officially brokered and announced by HRC this time.
HRC's "new deal" is entirely spin meant to undermine the unprecedented grassroots efforts of hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals in order to allow movement of their vanity bill that no one including Speaker Pelosi or Congressman Frank says they really want. Even HRC claims they don't want it even though they support it. Of course House leadership says they will hold a vote when there are sufficient votes, but it is our position (and the position of actual members of Congress) that there were sufficient votes three weeks ago. Yet the bill was pulled from consideration then and we have been promised that no vote will be held-that's what started this crisis. We have had and we do have the votes to pass H.R. 2015 and ask for a vote on this unified bill now.
We sincerely appreciate the work that the Speaker has put into advancing all LGBT rights and we acknowledge and treasure her commitment to seeing this through until the passage of rights for all of us. But we strongly disagree with and oppose this strategy. We oppose H.R. 3685 and believe taking Committee action on this bad bill is extremely harmful to our collective effort to win civil rights for all LGBT people.
NCTE is willing to hold double secret negotiations also to get this point across if that will help.
Mara Keisling
Executive Director
National Center for Transgender Equality
PS - We still need you to call your U.S. Representatives and tell them you want HR 2015 only. Get your friends, family, neighbors, etc. to do the same. If you have called once, then do it again now.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Daily ENDA Update from Mara Keisling
A team of us just returned from a meeting with leadership staff. I wish I had better news to report. Here's the rundown:
They intend to move forward with a non-inclusive bill. They intend to schedule the sexual orientation-only bill for next Thursday in the House Education and Labor Committee.
While they have offered to keep HR2015 (the fully inclusive bill) on the table for consideration, it was clear to everyone at the meeting that with this proposed strategy, it would be much more difficult to have a vote on a united bill anytime soon. HR2015 is the bill we must continue to fight for.
You can find a list of the House Education and Labor Committee members here:
http://edlabor.house.gov/about/members.shtml
In Unity,
Mara Keisling
They intend to move forward with a non-inclusive bill. They intend to schedule the sexual orientation-only bill for next Thursday in the House Education and Labor Committee.
While they have offered to keep HR2015 (the fully inclusive bill) on the table for consideration, it was clear to everyone at the meeting that with this proposed strategy, it would be much more difficult to have a vote on a united bill anytime soon. HR2015 is the bill we must continue to fight for.
You can find a list of the House Education and Labor Committee members here:
http://edlabor.house.gov/about/members.shtml
In Unity,
Mara Keisling
Daily ENDA Update from Mara Keisling
We have been striving for daily updates to you, but I have had time to write them only about every day and a half or so. Please know that the reason for that is simply that we’ve been so incredibly busy working with legislators, members of our community and our growing coalition of allies that there haven’t been enough hours in the day. Keeping you informed is very important to us and so are the issues we face.
And now the work . . .
We are making significant progress with members of Congress. The coalition of lobbyists who are working on this bill have gotten so much positive response from targeted members of Congress. After a four day weekend, Congress came back to DC and worked on Tuesday and Wednesday and then recessed again so members could attend the funeral of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) who passed away. Still those two days were incredibly productive in terms of getting members of Congress to talk with us about HR2015. It was productive not only because they were back in DC, but because they were back in DC after spending time in their districts, hearing from all of you out there who have mobilized brilliantly to get this important work done.
I had an incredibly touching day today, as is often the case when I have a PFLAG day. The PFLAG National convention started in DC today. I am speaking at the closing plenary session on Sunday, which I am very excited about. And I wore the lapel pin I received from the Seattle PFLAGers in Seattle this past May.
The fabulous rock star Cyndi Lauper spoke to a PFLAG press conference today and talked, among other things about the need for Transgender rights. That is remarkable. More remarkable though is that Peggy Gage was on Capitol Hill today lobbying to pass a fully-inclusive unified ENDA. I was fortunate enough to go with her and other PFLAG parents to meet with two members of Congress. That Peggy was there is extraordinary for two reasons. Peggy is a very proud PFLAG mom and that in itself makes it remarkable that she spent the day at the Capitol lobbying for a transgender-inclusive ENDA. More remarkable and utterly humbling though is that Peggy lobbied with me today even though her husband Judge Ed Gage passed away last Friday. Peggy still came to DC from Tallahassee to stand up for her lesbian daughter and for all of us because, she explained, there was important work to do and because her late husband would have wanted her to. We grieve her loss and are thankful and in awe that she found the strength to stand with us and demand justice in this very difficult week for her.
Every afternoon at 1PM, we have co-chaired a conference call for members of the United ENDA Coalition. Today our absolutely solid ally Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin joined us to give us her take on ENDA, assure us that we are making progress and exhort us to stay focused and see this through confidently and with moral purpose. We should be comforted to know that she is solidly on our side as we move ENDA forward this year and every year until it passes.
As many of you know, Congressman Barney Frank has made speeches and held a press conference in which he has expressed that he plans to move forward with the weakened, non-inclusive ENDA (H.R. 3685). While that is unfortunate, we continue to urge everyone, as Congresswoman Baldwin has, to keep our eyes on the prize and not be lured by distractions. NCTE continues to be entirely focused on moving the ball forward every possible inch.
Mara Keisling
And now the work . . .
We are making significant progress with members of Congress. The coalition of lobbyists who are working on this bill have gotten so much positive response from targeted members of Congress. After a four day weekend, Congress came back to DC and worked on Tuesday and Wednesday and then recessed again so members could attend the funeral of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) who passed away. Still those two days were incredibly productive in terms of getting members of Congress to talk with us about HR2015. It was productive not only because they were back in DC, but because they were back in DC after spending time in their districts, hearing from all of you out there who have mobilized brilliantly to get this important work done.
I had an incredibly touching day today, as is often the case when I have a PFLAG day. The PFLAG National convention started in DC today. I am speaking at the closing plenary session on Sunday, which I am very excited about. And I wore the lapel pin I received from the Seattle PFLAGers in Seattle this past May.
The fabulous rock star Cyndi Lauper spoke to a PFLAG press conference today and talked, among other things about the need for Transgender rights. That is remarkable. More remarkable though is that Peggy Gage was on Capitol Hill today lobbying to pass a fully-inclusive unified ENDA. I was fortunate enough to go with her and other PFLAG parents to meet with two members of Congress. That Peggy was there is extraordinary for two reasons. Peggy is a very proud PFLAG mom and that in itself makes it remarkable that she spent the day at the Capitol lobbying for a transgender-inclusive ENDA. More remarkable and utterly humbling though is that Peggy lobbied with me today even though her husband Judge Ed Gage passed away last Friday. Peggy still came to DC from Tallahassee to stand up for her lesbian daughter and for all of us because, she explained, there was important work to do and because her late husband would have wanted her to. We grieve her loss and are thankful and in awe that she found the strength to stand with us and demand justice in this very difficult week for her.
Every afternoon at 1PM, we have co-chaired a conference call for members of the United ENDA Coalition. Today our absolutely solid ally Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin joined us to give us her take on ENDA, assure us that we are making progress and exhort us to stay focused and see this through confidently and with moral purpose. We should be comforted to know that she is solidly on our side as we move ENDA forward this year and every year until it passes.
As many of you know, Congressman Barney Frank has made speeches and held a press conference in which he has expressed that he plans to move forward with the weakened, non-inclusive ENDA (H.R. 3685). While that is unfortunate, we continue to urge everyone, as Congresswoman Baldwin has, to keep our eyes on the prize and not be lured by distractions. NCTE continues to be entirely focused on moving the ball forward every possible inch.
Mara Keisling
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Daily Update from Mara--October 8
Today is the fourth straight day that members of Congress have been gone from DC. Fortunately this means that people all over the country have been able to meet with Congresspeople back in the districts, in their offices, at parades, at town hall meetings. And we are getting feedback that it is working. It will take through Tuesday and into Wednesday to get a good read on what members of Congress think once they are back at work. NCTE and others will be all over Capitol Hill all this week, while people in the states are doing visits and calls there.
PFLAG is having its national lobby day this week and NCTE will be participating in their national conference this weekend. I need to say a word here about PFLAG. They have been amazing allies for several years now--at least as long as I have been in DC and probably longer. They are very welcoming of trans people, they have more and more transgender-specific programming and they have stood absolutely solid with us on federal policy. They rock.
While on the subject of PFLAG, they are a good symbol of what has happened over the past couple of weeks. When the PFLAG national office sent out their first action alert about this ENDA crisis, they received intense feedback and mobilization. One of their chapters even asked if they could get back from Congress the 600 cards that they had collected in support of an inclusive ENDA. I just love PFLAG and encourage everyone (and their mother) to get involved in PFLAG.
An interesting thing I have never seen before happened today. All over the Internet people started posting an opinion about the ENDA situation and HRC's part in it that was attributed to me, but which was actually written by a different Mara, a friend of mine. It spread so quickly that the Advocate magazine on line did a story about ENDA and HRC and attributed Mara's views to me even though they contradicted what I had told them earlier in the story. Neither me nor the other Mara can be blamed for sloppy reporting or blog posted, but both of us took it very seriously and had the reporter fix the story. I know Mara is not that common a name, but that's just plain sloppy not looking at a last name.
On Tuesday, Congress is back in DC and the intensity begins again. NCTE will be there.
~Mara
Mara Keisling
Executive Director
PFLAG is having its national lobby day this week and NCTE will be participating in their national conference this weekend. I need to say a word here about PFLAG. They have been amazing allies for several years now--at least as long as I have been in DC and probably longer. They are very welcoming of trans people, they have more and more transgender-specific programming and they have stood absolutely solid with us on federal policy. They rock.
While on the subject of PFLAG, they are a good symbol of what has happened over the past couple of weeks. When the PFLAG national office sent out their first action alert about this ENDA crisis, they received intense feedback and mobilization. One of their chapters even asked if they could get back from Congress the 600 cards that they had collected in support of an inclusive ENDA. I just love PFLAG and encourage everyone (and their mother) to get involved in PFLAG.
An interesting thing I have never seen before happened today. All over the Internet people started posting an opinion about the ENDA situation and HRC's part in it that was attributed to me, but which was actually written by a different Mara, a friend of mine. It spread so quickly that the Advocate magazine on line did a story about ENDA and HRC and attributed Mara's views to me even though they contradicted what I had told them earlier in the story. Neither me nor the other Mara can be blamed for sloppy reporting or blog posted, but both of us took it very seriously and had the reporter fix the story. I know Mara is not that common a name, but that's just plain sloppy not looking at a last name.
On Tuesday, Congress is back in DC and the intensity begins again. NCTE will be there.
~Mara
Mara Keisling
Executive Director
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Daily ENDA Update from Mara Keisling
A wonderful quote:
"This is our moment of truth and we cannot blink...This is not the time to do the bigots' work for them, to make excuses, or to call fear 'pragmatism.'"
Nadine Smith
Equality Florida
My friend Nadine is exactly correct. We cannot blink.
We are hearing from other lobbyists, Congressional staffers and even members of Congress that constituents have really been turning out the visits, phone calls and other contacts. Please keep it up. We definitely have people talking on Capitol Hill. We have a wall in the office that has a list of Congresspeople whose support we must have to win and another wall that has a list of Congresspeople who have confirmed their support over the past week or so. We have been moving names over from one list to the other for several days as they are confirmed as supporters and we are very excited about how quickly that list is growing.
Please remember that tomorrow (Monday) Congress is closed for Columbus Day, but that many legislators will be back in their districts doing parades, town hall meetings and etc. These are really great places to have a few moments with your Congressperson. We at NCTE will be open tomorrow and, along with many allies, will continue to work on the education that is having huge impact.
So much has happened over this weekend. A whole lot of people have visited with their members of Congress back in the districts. I just received another visit report a few minutes ago from South Carolina. Sometime yesterday it appears that we passed 300 organizations who have signed on to support a unified ENDA. We'll have a more exact number tomorrow when Ryan gets back to updating the list. If yours is an organizations that has signed on to the statement, but your name hasn't appeared on the list yet, please be patient—300 names is a lot to process so it can take a while and we did get a bit behind this weekend.
About 75-100 activists led by the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) gathered at HRC's national dinner last night to further advance a transgender-inclusive ENDA. A concurrent vigil took place in the Castro in San Francisco that also had a great turnout and impact. I stopped by the DC protest and was honored to see a really great mix of transgender people and allies, all really worked up and taking thoughtful, respectful and effective action.
I saw a very interesting note in the New York Post, which has never been very supportive of transgender people. The note said: " THAT we erred yesterday in referring to a pre-op transsexual as "a she-male" - a term GLAAD informs us is "a dehumanizing slur." We apologize to any and all we may have offended . . ." It is amazing progress that the post would apologize to transgender people for using insulting language. I also think it bears noting that GLAAD has been doing a very solid job in recent years working with media outlets on ever more fair coverage of transgender people and our lives.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who answered our call for increased support. This ENDA crisis has really increased our expenses and your financial help is genuinely helping a great deal as we have ramped up to do this important work. If you would like to help with a donation, please send a check to NCTE or go to our website at http://nctequality.org/donate.html. We still really need your financial help to make our work happen.
"This is our moment of truth and we cannot blink...This is not the time to do the bigots' work for them, to make excuses, or to call fear 'pragmatism.'"
Nadine Smith
Equality Florida
My friend Nadine is exactly correct. We cannot blink.
We are hearing from other lobbyists, Congressional staffers and even members of Congress that constituents have really been turning out the visits, phone calls and other contacts. Please keep it up. We definitely have people talking on Capitol Hill. We have a wall in the office that has a list of Congresspeople whose support we must have to win and another wall that has a list of Congresspeople who have confirmed their support over the past week or so. We have been moving names over from one list to the other for several days as they are confirmed as supporters and we are very excited about how quickly that list is growing.
Please remember that tomorrow (Monday) Congress is closed for Columbus Day, but that many legislators will be back in their districts doing parades, town hall meetings and etc. These are really great places to have a few moments with your Congressperson. We at NCTE will be open tomorrow and, along with many allies, will continue to work on the education that is having huge impact.
So much has happened over this weekend. A whole lot of people have visited with their members of Congress back in the districts. I just received another visit report a few minutes ago from South Carolina. Sometime yesterday it appears that we passed 300 organizations who have signed on to support a unified ENDA. We'll have a more exact number tomorrow when Ryan gets back to updating the list. If yours is an organizations that has signed on to the statement, but your name hasn't appeared on the list yet, please be patient—300 names is a lot to process so it can take a while and we did get a bit behind this weekend.
About 75-100 activists led by the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) gathered at HRC's national dinner last night to further advance a transgender-inclusive ENDA. A concurrent vigil took place in the Castro in San Francisco that also had a great turnout and impact. I stopped by the DC protest and was honored to see a really great mix of transgender people and allies, all really worked up and taking thoughtful, respectful and effective action.
I saw a very interesting note in the New York Post, which has never been very supportive of transgender people. The note said: " THAT we erred yesterday in referring to a pre-op transsexual as "a she-male" - a term GLAAD informs us is "a dehumanizing slur." We apologize to any and all we may have offended . . ." It is amazing progress that the post would apologize to transgender people for using insulting language. I also think it bears noting that GLAAD has been doing a very solid job in recent years working with media outlets on ever more fair coverage of transgender people and our lives.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who answered our call for increased support. This ENDA crisis has really increased our expenses and your financial help is genuinely helping a great deal as we have ramped up to do this important work. If you would like to help with a donation, please send a check to NCTE or go to our website at http://nctequality.org/donate.html. We still really need your financial help to make our work happen.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Daily UpdateThursday, October 4, 2007 from Mara
Today I spent quite a bit of time explaining (re-explaining) to the media and others that the current ENDA situation is not one of pragmatic people versus crazy idealists (not that there is anything wrong with being either practical or idealistic). No one is demanding that transgender people get ours or no one gets anything. The greatest likelihood in fact is that this year will end with no ENDA protections becoming law to protect anyone. We will all need to work together to pass the bill in the House, even harder in the Senate and then somehow overcome a likely veto by the White House.
Additionally, gender identity is not synonymous with transgender and sexual orientation is not synonymous with gay and bi people. Just as trans people face discrimination based on sexual orientation, gay people face gender identity discrimination. Yesterday, five legal organizations (Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, The Transgender Law Center, GLAD, and the ACLU) issued a joint statement (www.lambdalegal.org) that explained this and other legal shortcomings of a sexual orientation-only ENDA.
A split ENDA hurts all LGBT people-whether you are pragmatic, idealistic or, like most of us, both.
Today (Thursday) was another very fast paced day in Washington and around the country. Congressional offices are definitely hearing from everyone and it is just as definite that everyone's great work is really impacting things. Members of Congress and their staffs are telling us that they are getting calls and visits from people like you-people who live in their districts.
The number of organizations who have publicly proclaimed their support for transgender people and our desire to pass the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 2015) was up at about 180 the last time I checked sometime this afternoon. Earlier today, we blew past 2,500 signatures on the petitions that we co-produced with the Transgender Law Center. People are really enthused and turning that enthusiasm into action. And it's working.
One side effect of all of this sudden somewhat unexpected activity is that our expenses have gone up tremendously. Suddenly we are paying for meals for volunteers, lots of taxis to Capitol Hill, consultants, cell phone minutes. This coming week, it looks like there will be some travel costs and hotel rooms for specific people who we need to have here in DC. All in all, we think that this may cost us an additional $10,000-15,000--all of which is very difficult for a small organization like NCTE. Though so many people are doing so much, your financial support would also be very helpful. One donor sent us $150--one dollar in honor of each of the LGBT organizations who has stepped up in solidarity to support transgender people and our effort of keep ENDA inclusive of all LGBT people. If you would like to make a donation, please go to our website at http://nctequality.org/donate.html. It would help a lot.
Thank you.~Mara
Additionally, gender identity is not synonymous with transgender and sexual orientation is not synonymous with gay and bi people. Just as trans people face discrimination based on sexual orientation, gay people face gender identity discrimination. Yesterday, five legal organizations (Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, The Transgender Law Center, GLAD, and the ACLU) issued a joint statement (www.lambdalegal.org) that explained this and other legal shortcomings of a sexual orientation-only ENDA.
A split ENDA hurts all LGBT people-whether you are pragmatic, idealistic or, like most of us, both.
Today (Thursday) was another very fast paced day in Washington and around the country. Congressional offices are definitely hearing from everyone and it is just as definite that everyone's great work is really impacting things. Members of Congress and their staffs are telling us that they are getting calls and visits from people like you-people who live in their districts.
The number of organizations who have publicly proclaimed their support for transgender people and our desire to pass the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 2015) was up at about 180 the last time I checked sometime this afternoon. Earlier today, we blew past 2,500 signatures on the petitions that we co-produced with the Transgender Law Center. People are really enthused and turning that enthusiasm into action. And it's working.
One side effect of all of this sudden somewhat unexpected activity is that our expenses have gone up tremendously. Suddenly we are paying for meals for volunteers, lots of taxis to Capitol Hill, consultants, cell phone minutes. This coming week, it looks like there will be some travel costs and hotel rooms for specific people who we need to have here in DC. All in all, we think that this may cost us an additional $10,000-15,000--all of which is very difficult for a small organization like NCTE. Though so many people are doing so much, your financial support would also be very helpful. One donor sent us $150--one dollar in honor of each of the LGBT organizations who has stepped up in solidarity to support transgender people and our effort of keep ENDA inclusive of all LGBT people. If you would like to make a donation, please go to our website at http://nctequality.org/donate.html. It would help a lot.
Thank you.~Mara
Morning Reflections from Justin
I got up this morning and, like every day, I opened my e-mail box while gulping down some form of caffeine. This past week has absolutely changed my attitude about what I find there, though. Instead of being annoyed at junk mail or overwhelmed by all the need to clean out that mailbox, I see all of those action alerts from LGBT and allied organizations and I am reminded over and over again of the intense power of solidarity. I feel proud and I feel connected. Every few minutes an e-mail pops up talking about the urgency of keeping ENDA transgender inclusive. And when I check my work e-mail, it's filling up with people asking how they can help or reporting on what they've already accomplished. When I get tired, those messages all give me new energy.
I hope that you, too, are feeling this sense that we are in this struggle together. We are connected, by electronic messages making their way from your house to mine and back again, and by our commitment to being one community, united for justice.
The LGBT community is saying loudly and clearly that the T is a part of US. If politicians try to leave trans people off the bus, well, we'll catch the next one. But we're also pointing out that there's plenty of room on the bus for all.
One reason to take action this weekend and the days to come is to be a part of this feeling, this sense of community.
I hope that you, too, are feeling this sense that we are in this struggle together. We are connected, by electronic messages making their way from your house to mine and back again, and by our commitment to being one community, united for justice.
The LGBT community is saying loudly and clearly that the T is a part of US. If politicians try to leave trans people off the bus, well, we'll catch the next one. But we're also pointing out that there's plenty of room on the bus for all.
One reason to take action this weekend and the days to come is to be a part of this feeling, this sense of community.
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