One of the things that I've been worried about since my DC lobby trip was a scenario in which they kept transpeople in hate crimes and let it pass, but transpeople got stripped out of the more critically important HR 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.Well, that scenario just happened. HR 2015 as of this morning is no longer being moved. It was replaced with two separate ENDA bills filed Thursday by the transgender community's old nemesis, the Purple Dinosaur AKA Rep Barney Frank (D-MA).
One bill is gay and lesbian only, the other has the 'gender identity' language.
The resident transphobe on Capitol Hill has PERMANENTLY earned the wrath and vitriol he's gonna get from transpeople.
Barney has been the point gay on keeping us out of ENDA. He has basically provided the religious right with their talking points over the last decade to use against transpeople by bringing up the shower issue and calling Riki Wilchins 'Read My Lips' book a transgender handbook. (which is laughable)
Of course the 'sell the trannies out' gay and lesbian voices are in full throat with their 'wait your turn' spin. What they won't tell you is that we've done canvass after canvass of congresscritters over the last decade that indicate that transgender inclusion won't sink ENDA.And they know that as well. The Mattachine wing of the gay rights movement has reared its ugly trans-hating head.
I think we need to make a serious push toward getting transpersons elected to Congress. In the interim, somebody needs to run against Barney Frank in the primary next year to send him (and any other transphobic legislator) a personal message that we've had it with being cut out of civil rights bills.
