Letters to the Editor
-
@ rooibos:
With your keen sight, you could spot a tick on a charging tiger.
And you'd say, "Hey, I think there's a tick on that tiger. I can confirm that is a sec as I'm about to get a closer look."
My point is that you missed my point in focusing on Little Rock. The federal marshals weren't there to picnic. I could have used any town, for racism is everywhere, but I used Little Rock because it's infamous for resisting integration in front of cameras. White folks bunkered in white suburbs also resist integration.
-
response to merille C
the point about the T community being maybe .1 percent of the population was not that they don't matter, it was that they don't matter as much as the rather large community of LGB that has become more accepted in American society. Are you saying that the bill should not be passed without the T community being included?
then you make the absurd argument that discrimination for any reason should be outlawed. really? what about discriminating against unattractive people? good luck showing that in a court of law.
all I was saying (and I think the author was saying) is that the interests should not be sacrificed just because an infinitely small slice of society can't get on board with them. I should add that some of these people might not even know that they would be considered 'transgendered', and as I mentioned before good luck defining who might be a part of the community for purposes of being protected by this prospective bill.
an LGB anti discrimination law would be a great step forward; let's not go ultra left and sabotage it because we can't have everything.
-
Check out Lambda Legal....
John, John, John......have you read Lambda Legal's opinion on the current ENDA legislation? Have you read how weak and watered down the current version is? I don't think you did.
It's not the same piece of legislation that was introduced back in April. This is a new compromised version. Why is Barney Frank in such a hurry to have this one passed? I see red flags on this John. It's a shame that you don't. I will not support anything that does not have the same protections for our Transgendered friends.
-
My story, for whatever it's worth
As someone who transitioned years ago, I was fired from a job when I announced my transition plan. This is from a company that scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) scale and a boss who was also the head of corporate diversity. When that happened I could have sued, but what would that prove? I didn't want a future employer to view me as a money grubbing whiner, so I picked myself off the ground and found myself a new job, in my new gender. It was hard, but well worth it. I got to experience firsthand what a minority person must go through or someone who looks "too faggy" or "too dykey" for a job. All I can say is that, in the end, I came out okay.
I know from first hand stories of others that, in my experience anyways, a majority of transsexuals are either fired on-the-spot or made to feel so uncomortable at thier jobs that the only option is to quit without having another job lined up. I know one girl who was told that if she wanted to go to the bathroom at work she had to go to a gas station down the street and that all restrooms at work were off limits (both male and female facilities). They used her "time to go pee" as a weapon to say her productivity was poor and eventually she quit in disgust.
Workplaces are not the place where persons should feel threatened. We come to work to do our jobs as best as possible, put a roof over heads and bread on our tables. If society says "We don't want transgendered people in our workplace", then the only other option is that society must have the obligation to support me for life. But you see I want to work and contribute to society. I am college educated person holding a masters degree in engineering and currently working towards an MBA. I feel that gives me some right to be able to participate towards the future of American society.
Lastly, I want to comment on the "mentally ill" thing. I would like to remind people that only recently, gays and lesbians were considered mentally ill. In fact, in many other countries gays and lesbians are still considered mentally ill. Since I myself wanted to be able to have my final transsexual surgery, I had no choice but to accept a diagnosis so that I could be approved for my operation. It is the only diagnosis that we accept since very very little is known about people like myself. There is no research being done and no follow-up, therefore without any medical backing, we only have an archaic diagnosis that was created in the 1950's when Christine Jorgensen wanted to have the operation. So we hold our noses and accept it. In Europe (where gender assignment surgery is paid for), they also have to accept the diagnosis as well.
I don't consider myself anything other than another variation of human being, no different than being gay or straight. As a human being, I would like to be able to have the same rights such as employment that a lot of people take for granted.
-
Anon???
Why must people post anonymously? It annoys me on a subject like this.
But anon, you said " let's not go ultra left and sabotage it because we can't have everything."
What a bunch of hooey. The bill is not going to get passed any how, way, shape, or size. I've yet to see anyone write about it's chances in the Senate. Dim I imagine, as the repubs are filibustering everthing that comes down the pike. And then I have a strange feeling that the president's pen (if it miraculously gets that far) is gonna be outta regular ink and only be filled with VETO ink).
So, what's the big hooha about having an all inclusive bill? A half inclusive bill isn't gonna get very far either. Everyone needs to get real. This debate is not about the bill. The bill isn't getting very far in any form. This debate has become a conversation between ourselves in our community and who supports inclusive and who could really care less. Look in the mirror everyone. Who are you?