Transgender
issues
were
scheduled
to
take
center
stage
in
Congress
this
week
as
lawmakers
–
for
the
first
time
ever
–
heard
the
stories
of
transgender
people
who
faced
discrimination.
Gay
and
transgender
activists
described
Thursday’s
hearing
as
historic
and
were
hopeful
that
members
of
Congress
would
be
spurred
to
act
by
the
testimony
they
heard.
“This
is
a
really
serious
problem
that
needs
to
be
addressed,”
said
Mara
Keisling
of
National
Center
for
Transgender
Equality.
“It’s
that
simple.”
Set
to
occur
after
Southern
Voice’s
deadline,
the
June
26
hearing
was
not
keyed
to
any
pending
congressional
proposal,
such
as
the
Employment
Non-Discrimination
Act,
which
aims
to
bar
workplace
discrimination
against
gays.
It
also
was
not
tied
to
legislation
introduced
last
year
by
Rep.
Barney
Frank
(D-Mass.)
to
bar
workplace
discrimination
against
transgender
people.
“Nothing’s
going
to
happen
with
any
of
these
bills
this
year,”
Keisling
said.
“It
just
isn’t.”
Keisling
said
the
hearing
instead
was
intended
to
give
an
overview
of
transgender
workplace
discrimination
issues.
“It’s
about
the
societal
problem
of
transgender
employment
discrimination,”
she
said.
“It’s
not
about
ENDA.”
Expected
speakers
for
the
House
hearing
included
gay
Reps.
Frank
and
Tammy
Baldwin
(D-Wisc.),
plus
Shannon
Minter,
legal
director
of
the
National
Center
for
Lesbian
Rights.
Minter,
who
is
transgender,
was
a
lead
attorney
in
California’s
same-sex
marriage
case.
“We
are
laying
a
foundation
for
2009
when
we
hope
and
believe
there
will
be
actual
legislation
to
consider,”
Minter
said.
“The
goal
is
full
equality
for
transgender
workers
in
the
workplace.”
Other
expected
speakers
included
Diane
Schroer,
who
has
alleged
that
she
lost
a
job
offer
from
the
Library
of
Congress
after
revealing
her
plans
to
transition
from
male
to
female,
and
Sabrina
Marcus
Taraboletti,
a
former
aerospace
engineer
who
said
she
was
dismissed
after
announcing
plans
to
transition
from
male
to
female.
“It’s
mostly
about
members
of
Congress
hearing
from
real
people
who
need
real
solutions,”
Keisling
said.
“This
is
a
really
serious,
life
or
death
issue.”
Thursday’s
hearing
came
seven
months
after
House
members
voted
235-184
to
pass
a
version
of
ENDA
that
omitted
trans
provisions.
The
vote
followed
weeks
of
intense
debate
among
activists
regarding
the
bill.
A
companion
bill
has
not
been
introduced
in
the
Senate.
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Michaellgooch on 6/30/084:35 AM:
“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28. Sad to say, this ancient truth is nowhere to be seen in the modern American arena. Do we discriminate against people that are ‘different’ from us? What a strange world that we still have issues regarding discrimination. Like sexual harassment, the true victims rarely report it while the abused suffer in silence. This is a problem. Huge Problem. In my book, Wingtips with Spurs, http://www.amazon.com/Wingtips-Spurs-Michael-L-Gooch/dp/1897326882/
I devote a chapter to discrimination and how it is often over-looked or swept into a dark corner. And yes, it still exists in modern America. While we pour more stupid laws into the books to prevent such painful actions, we fail to fix the real problem, that is, the root. In addition, we have been conditioned by lawyers to believe that legal and moral are the same thing. So sad. Whenever a human is treated differently than the masses, we should take a cold, hard look at the situation. A hard look indeed. Maybe even the mirror. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs: Cowboy Wisdom for Today’s Business Leaders http://www.michaellgooch.com
