Phyllabuster: Why Even Bother To Vote This Tuesday

TransGriot Note: The latest Phyllabuster from the godmother of the trans rights movement and one of my mentors, Phyllis R. Frye


I feel certain that this may make some folks angry and that I will get some REMOVES to my list.   Well, I feel this needs to be said.  And if you are one of my Republican friends (and I have many Republican friends), please consider the entirety of this message.    

I have watched with interest as a kid or as a volunteered for and as a voter in elections since IKE ran in 1956.  I have never seen anything as ugly and violent as this election.  I remember the anti-catholic fervor during the Kennedy election.  And, I apologize for voting for Nixon in 1972.  I remember locally in the mid-1980's in Houston when a so-called "Straight Slate" ran a field of anti-gay candidates for City Council.  As you might suspect,  almost every house within a hundred yards of our front yard had a "Straight Slate" sign in their front yard.  I remember the flak we got with our "Jesse Jackson for President" signs both times that he ran.  I remember when a leading candidate for mayor said "Kill the Queers" into an open microphone.  And I have represented in the criminal courts various citizens who were arrested and charged for no reason other that the bigotry and hatred from a particular rouge cop or two.   

My parents were kids in the 1920's and grew up in the Great Depression in the 1930's and were young adults after World War II and watched with fear the entire Joe McCarthy witch-hunts.  They are both dead now, so I have a tad bit of forgiveness in my heart for their rejecting me.  I know that they were afraid of what other people might say or do to them as a result of being related to the "super-out-tranny," ME.  

And I have always wondered at how the Brown-shirted thugs took power as a minority in 1930's Germany. So many historians and documentaries have commented that the majority parties thought that they could keep the minority extremists in check.  People were angry with the economic situation.  The corporate barons felt that the order brought by this minority was good for business.  And so slowing things began to change for the worst.   

The thuggery that is coming out in this election cycle is frightening to me.  Candidates are having their private security "arrest and cuff?" the media.  (and not being arrested themselves for false imprisonment!)  Candidate supporters are stomping on women's heads.  (and not being arrested themselves for assault?)  We had a violent incident just yesterday in Houston.      The Tea-Party candidates who have co-opted the once moderation in the Republican Party will not talk to the media (Fox News is not media).  And their ideas are extreme.  Give social security to the stock market.  End Medicare.  End separation of church and state.  No abortion for kids raped by fathers.  And on.    

So, as I ponder to why even bother to vote this Tuesday, I hear from my friends on the left and in the center that they feel let down.  So do I.  I wanted a lot more out of this President and out of this Congress.  But consider this:  
  

•  in all but a few cases, the House and Senate Republicans refused to do anything but block legislation and nominations.      
• they did all they could to block everything.     
• they are embracing candidates who are EXTREME!    

they are tryng to buy this election with untraceable corporate money._____ YOU MUST VOTE ON TUESDAY.   

Okay, be angry or be disappointed, but don't give the keys to power back to the folks who screwed up the economy so badly it is still on life support and who will block everything for another two years.  If the Tea Party co-opted Republicans take over, they do NOT have your interests in mind   

The end of our Democracy could begin on November 2 unless you vote to say NO to filibusters and blockage, NO to the extremists who do not have your interests at heart, and NO to the big money buying this election.   

Even if you have to hold-your-nose, please get up off your seat and vote on Tuesday.  

And insist that someone goes with you.   

Sitting this one out because you are disappointed is NOT IN YOUR BEST INTEREST. Phyllis Randolph Frye a.k.a.  THE PHYLLABUSTER prfrye@aol.com

The IFGE-TransEvents Split

For several years the IFGE convention was managed by a group called TransEvents. While IFGE focused on its nuts and bolts educational mission, TransEvents, founded by S. Kristine James and Alison Laing organized and ran the convention.

IFGE is the International Foundation for Gender Education, one of the oldest national gender groups in existence. It publishes Transgender Tapestry magazine and is the creator and presenter of the Trinity and Virgina Prince Awards honoring the transgender community heroes and sheroes.

It has come to my attention thanks to a Phyllabuster I recently received that a split occurred a few months ago between IFGE and TransEvents. As of yet no one knows why, but I'll have to contact my sources inside IFGE to get their side of it and hopefully hear from someone representing TransEvents as well.

The official IFGE convention has already been scheduled for February 2-8 2009 in Washington, D.C.

But that split will lead to an additional transgender convention in 2009. The TransEvents folks are putting on what they are entitling Transgender 2009-The Liberty Conference that will take place in Philadelphia from April 30-May 2.

If I had to pick one, the IFGE event appeals to me on multiple levels. I am a Trinity Award winner who enthusiastically supports the education mission of IFGE, and I occasionally write pieces for publishing in the pages of Transgender Tapestry magazine. Supporting this conference helps IFGE continue that mission.

Being in the Washington DC metro area gives me the opportunity to hit Capital Hill while I'm there to lobby the new 110th Congress on an inclusive ENDA and hare crimes issues. But conversely, since those bills haven't been filed yet, until I get a bill number and actually see how it's worded, it's hard to lobby for a bill you haven't seen yet.

The Philly event would allow me another opportunity to visit the city, hang out with Dionne, engage in more stimulating discussions with her and chat with Alison Laing again.

But judging by the separate conferences for this year, unless some behind the scenes conversations are taking place between the two parties I'm not cognizant of, it looks like the IFGE-TransEvents split may be a permanent one.

Has National HRC Become The Community's BULLY? The B-HRC?

TransGriot Note: The Phyllabuster I received on Sunday

After a night's sleep and looking at the photos that I sent you (separately and in two packages so as not to overload some of your older model computers), and after reading many responses from some of you, I need to put forth this question:

Has National HRC become the BULLY of the previously united LGBT community?

Is National HRC now to be called the B-HRC?

Consider: Why did National HRC call the Houston Police about a political protest from GLBT "family" folks?

Now, National HRC will tell you it is their standard policy to notify police in the event of a protest threat.

Yes, I can understand that some so-called religious groups and social bigots have been problematic in the past. Right on, if dealing with skinheads or the Klan or a Neo-nazi group. Absolutely! Good policy in those situations

But we are "family."

Or at least we were "family."

We were a united GLBT community family until National HRC divided us last fall over an ENDA bill that would never be signed by Bush and that would protect only those GLBs who expressed gender in a socially accepted manner. Who don't break the sex-stereotype mold.

What did National HRC expect?

Violence?

Anything other than possibly some political high-jinx that hotel security could have easily handled?

WE WERE NO PHYSICAL THREAT AND NATIONAL HRC KNEW IT!

In the history of protesting National HRC fundraisers that began in 1995 over transgenders then being deliberately omitted from the ENDA of that decade (and as we learned, that omission was at the direction and insistence of the National HRC), has there been even one instance of a GLBT "family" protester pushing or shoving or otherwise harming an HRC fundraiser guest or forcing literature or a lapel sticker onto a HRC fundraiser guest who made it plain they did not want any?

Rack my brain (someone may know of an instance), I know of no such instance in our 12 year struggle with National HRC over the full inclusion of "sexual orientation or gender identity or expression" in the ENDA bill.

We were there last night in Houston, to let HRC attendees know that transgenders and gender variant GLBs had been abandoned by National HRC and that we wanted to speak with and educate HRC attendees as to the issues.

We were there TO EDUCATE with lapel stickers to give to supporters of a Unified ENDA who were in attendance and to generate discussion.

The community's Bully -- National HRC -- sicced the cops on us.

Why?

Not because we were a physical threat, but to intimidate our allies and to diminish our protesting ranks.

I hope the Houston Police Department sends National HRC a bill since National HRC clearly set of a false alarm.

An alarm no less false than if they had deliberately set off a fire alarm which would have brought trained fire personnel and expensive fire equipment to fight a non-existent blaze.
____________________

And so my friends in New Orleans and in Phoenix and in other cities who are about to deal with the National Bully HRC -- or should we all begin to write, the B-HRC -- be of good cheer.

The B-HRC will alert the police in your city of your "family" protest.

But the B-HRC will not tell the police that it will be peaceful and of their own making.

The police will show up in riot gear with barricades and horse mounted officers.

If your city's police are professional, you should have no problem.

During our entire outside protesting event last night alongside the Houston Police, only twice did HPD officers get a bit verbally testy. In both cases when I reported those HPD officers to their OIC (Officer In Charge), the HPD OIC quickly jerked those errant police officers back into compliance with the law. No one was injured. No one was arrested.

It is all a B-HRC contrived intimidation gambit at taxpayer expense to keep the B-HRC cash-cow alive.

So protest.

Carry your signs.

Be festive.

Ask to enter and distribute literature or lapel stickers.

Take pictures and video record things.

Write it up and tell the story of what B-HRC did in your town.

Submit a Freedom of Information Request to your city controller or auditor or treasurer to get the official taxpayer price tag for the B-HRC false alarm and send that information out as well.

Finally -- Please pass this on.

The Houston HRC Protest

TransGriot Note: Aww is big, bad HRC 'scurred' of the ittle bitty transgender protest of their dinner? Yes. This is Phyllis Frye's 'Phyllabuster' report about yesterday's protest.


Phyllabuster: HRC goes petty: directs security to escort educators out

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) just got more petty and immature in responding to protests of its actions last fall that clearly divided a once united GLBT community.

As we arrived at the site for the Houston protest of the HRC fundraiser this Saturday, April 12th afternoon (reposts below for those new to this saga), we were told by hotel security that HRC had changed its mind about our attempts to educate.

We would be allowed to enter (without signs or banners, which we had never planned to bring inside). If we went directly to the event located on the second floor, we could hand out our lapel stickers that read, "GLBT & ENDA: United, Not Divided: I Support FULL Transgender Inclusion." And we could engage in conversation and educate those people who wanted to listen and learn.

So we walked around, outside the hotel for over an hour, carrying signs and visiting with each other. It was very festive.

The Houston Police gave us NO trouble. There were two very minor incidents where officers got a bit testy, but when I called their OIC, those officers were told they were wrong and to stop being testy with us. The rest of the force were very polite to us.

We joked amongst ourselves that we hardly warranted the riot barricades or the eight, horse-mounted officers or the other preparations and personnel. But the police felt it was better to be prepared than not.

The hotel had a guard at each door and along several parts of the sidewalk. They had placed traffic cones everywhere.

It was surreal -- all that effort for just little ole, inoffensive us.

After we had watched a lot of folks enter for the HRC event and it approached the planned 6 PM beginning, three of us entered the hotel, prepared to chat and educate for the hour before the 7 PM dinner, using our stack of 3 x 2 lapel stickers to initiate conversation.

We were met at the top of the escalator by an HRC official wearing a cream colored business skirt and coat. I asked if this was the HRC event area, and she said yes. So I offered someone a lapel sticker. I was immediately corrected, "No, not here, but here (she was indicating a place 18 inches away on the other side of a rope). Hotel security was poised nearby.

So we walked along the rope to an opening and around to the other side of the rope. I then offered another lapel sticker. An HRC man with a pink tie, a pink vest and dyed blonde hair (clearly who would be discriminated against on the basis of "gender expression") said, "No, not hear, but here (pointing us back to the initial place that we had just left).

I pulled out my cell phone. Immediately, the HRC guy told the hotel security to escort us out of the hotel. An event photographer took a photo as the hotel security closed and asked us to leave. There was no hustle. The security was polite. But we had to leave at HRC's direction and insistence!

So we did our gig outside until 7 PM. The weather was beautiful. During this part of our gig when we had planned to be inside educating, some friends drove up and lowering their window, asked how it was going. I told them about being escorted out at the direction of HRC when I began to offer lapel stickers. Our friends took a stack of lapel stickers and said, "They won't ask us to leave!"

As our group was packed up and leaving, I got a phone call that HRC had finally agreed to allow us to come in now -- after 7 PM, when all the cocktail chatty and education time was finished and folks would be sitting down to eat and hear a program. Or we could come back at 10 PM to offer folks our stickers as they left the event.

After being jerked around by HRC for the past hour, we were not about to submit ourselves to another trick or lie. We left to refresh and reflect at the nearby eatery.

NOTE: Protests against HRC are being planned for New Orleans and Phoenix. I will send info when I get it

Lobby Day Attracts 210 LGBT Activists To Austin

By David Webb
Staff Writer, Dallas Voice
Mar 8, 2007, 20:36





Transgender activists account for almost one-fourth of people visiting legislators to discuss issues

The turnout for Lobby Day in Austin this year was smaller than in some previous years, but the enthusiasm of the lobbyists made up for the shortage, according to some of the participants.

An estimated 210 members of the LGBT community showed up at the Texas Capitol to visit with legislators and voice their concerns about discrimination in the workplace, housing and schools, said Paul Scott, executive director of Equality Texas. The lobbyists also advocated for the rights of gay and lesbian people who want to adopt children or be foster parents.

“It was very effective,” Scott said. “We were not refused by any office. There were some offices where the conversations were shorter, but that was to be expected.”

Scott said Equality Texas leaders had reached out to the state’s transgender community to participate in the effort, and they were gratified by the response.

“They backed it 100 percent,” said Scott, who noted that almost one-fourth of the lobbyists were transgender people. Scott said the inclusion of transgender people in the lobby effort was useful to the overall LGBT community as well.

“There were many gay and lesbian people who had never had interaction with transgender persons before,” Scott said. “There’s a lot of work to do in our own community on transgender issues as well as within the general community.”

Dallas resident Jessica Davis, a member of Gender Education Advocacy Resources, said transgender lobbyists talked to legislators about a bill allowing gender mark changes and adding transgender language to the state hate crimes law.

“It was empowering,” Davis said. “I’ll be back in 2009, and I’ll be encouraging others to go with me.”

Shannon Bailey, president of Texas Stonewall Democrats, said it was his sixth time to participate in Lobby Day. He first started attending the biannual events in 1997.

“We certainly could have used more people, but I think it was the most successful that I’ve been to,” Bailey said. “To me it was a little more friendly than it has been in the past — even in the less-friendly legislators’ offices. It was not the less-friendly legislators themselves, but their staffs that were certainly willing to listen to our issues.”

Bailey said the staff members today tend to be younger and more open to dialogue than the legislators they represent.

“The staffs seem to have a little softer ear on our issues,” Bailey said. “It’s been interesting over the years to see them change. They ask us to come into the offices and sit down and talk.”

Bailey said he is hopeful that the 2009 Lobby Day will include a large rally to draw more people to Austin.

“I’m sort of a grassroots type,” Bailey said. “I love a good rally and protest. I think it energizes people — makes them feel part of something.”

Protests also help educate the public, Bailey said.

Scott said a rally might be a possibility in 2009.

“We do respect and understand the need for us to come together publicly as a community,” Scott said.

“We’re looking at some ways we can possibly accomplish that in 2009.”