Here's an example at a local level how things could work out nationally with ENDA. I'm happy to say that again it's my home county that's ahead of the curve.
From Equality Maryland:
A three-year campaign to add Montgomery County to the list of growing jurisdictions nationally that ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression has paid off for Equality Maryland and residents of the County. Bill #23-07, sponsored by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At Large) at the request of Equality Maryland, passed unanimously, with all eight Council Members present voting in support. The ninth Councilmember, George Leventhal (D-At Large), had also pledged his support for the measure.
"Equality Maryland praises the Montgomery County Council for taking this important step in securing the livelihood of transgender individuals locally,” said Executive Director Dan Furmansky. “We applaud Councilmember Trachtenberg for her leadership and advocacy, and the entire Council for its commitment to social justice in the face of great hostility from rabid, anti-LGBT forces. Equality Maryland also proudly recognizes the pivotal role played by our board member, Dr. Dana Beyer, who serves as an aide to Councilmember Trachtenberg, in passionately championing passage of this bill.”
Equality Maryland has been advocating for transgender equality legislation since 2001, when the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to prohibit discrimination against individuals on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation but failed to cover the category of gender identity and expression. In 2002, Equality Maryland (then known as Free State Justice) worked with advocates to pass a law unanimously in Baltimore City that was sponsored by then-Mayor Martin O'Malley. In 2007, the organization worked with legislators to introduce bills in the house to address discrimination in housing, employment, lending and public accommodations. The bill failed by one vote in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Earlier this year, Gov. Martin O'Malley reissued an Executive Order to clarify that transgender-motivated discrimination will not be tolerated in the state hiring process.
"Based on data from the 2000 Census, the total number of people now living in a jurisdiction with a transgender-inclusive anti-discrimination law in the United States is already 104 million," said Councilmember Trachtenberg. "Montgomery County is simply catching up with the times and creating a climate where all people are treated equally and free from discrimination and harm."
The Washington Transgender Needs Assessment survey estimates that 42% of transgender people in the DC Metro Area are unemployed; 31% have incomes of less than $10,000/year; and 19% do not have their own living space. The most common barriers cited by those who lack housing are their economic situation (38%), housing staff insensitivity or hostility to transgender people (29%), estrangement from birth family (27%) and lack of employment (23%).
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Perhaps readers might be interested in reading a typical response from the right-wing loonies after the County Council approved the bill:
ReplyDelete"Heil Hitler!" Adol T. Owen-Williams II, a Montgomery County Republican Central Committee member, shouted immediately after the vote from his third-row seat in the council chamber. "Wait until little girls start showing up dead all over the county because of freaks of nature."
(The Gazette, 11/14/2007, p.A25)
Keep in mind there is not one elected Republican office-holder in the County. Is there any wonder why?
Robert
I sincerely hope that all who backed this bill will accept responsibilty when girls and women are accosted, to put it mildly, by men who " identify " themselves as women. I am not targeting transgender men and women. i do not believe them to be " freaks." I am speaking of molesters, rapists, pedophiles. and other people who may seek to use this bill as a way to persue their sick lifestyle. To my transgender brothers and sisters, I apologize for the abuse, scorn, and humiliation you have been subjected to. I hope you find peace and strength in being who you are and persuing happiness. I do, however , believe that the safety of all the women in Montgomery county has just been severely compromised.- Tom Belcher
ReplyDeleteTom,
ReplyDeleteBoy, that seems like quite a stretch to me. I understand where you are coming from and appreciate your affirmation of transgender people. However, I believe you are taking an alarmist view. Fortunately, I suspect you hope you're wrong as much as I do.
Here’s how the law defines “gender identity.”
ReplyDelete“Gender identity means an individual’s actual or perceived gender, including a person’s gender-related appearance, expression, image, identity, or behavior, whether or not those gender-related characteristics differ from the characteristics customarily associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth.”
So if a person considers himself transgendered–whether or not that is clear to others–he suddenly has carte blanche to invade the privacy of women, even if his self-perceived identity is not apparent to others. His word is the first and final authority on whether he feels he should be allowed to use the women’s facilities. It is impossible for the law to determine whether he indeed considers himself a woman, or whether he might have other motives.
http://originalsoapbox.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/tyranny-in-moco/