From DC: First Impressions From The Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee Hearing

There you are!

Just a quickie, here then I'll read, but I came on just 10 minutes ago looking for what you had to say...guess you noticed!

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

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by: Orion45 @ Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 18:51:30 PM CDT

....so.

I will look for Col. Schroer's testimony. I think they got it wrong 365 News said that the Library of Congress offered her a job...but do not say that it was taken away again.  I presume someone will pick up on that and re edit..I never have found a way to leave messages there.

Yep, Bathrooms...as expected.

Knowledge breeds acceptance...we know that too.  So..is there a way to support some transpeople through school etc. so they will be more able to be a 'congressional aide.' etc.? Actually I suppose some of your groups do that as best they can.

Will be reading each of your posts. thanks for the first hand information... and essence. 

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

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by: Orion45 @ Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 18:59:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

No, You heard right on Col. Schroer

She really was offered the job, and the offer really was recinded when she told the supervisor she was going to be transitioning on the job.

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~~Autumn~~

As if there were safety in stupidity alone.
--Henry David Thoreau

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by: Autumn Sandeen @ Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 19:57:31 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Another Perspective

TAVA's Vice President, Angela Brightfeather, just called me and gave me a debriefing.  She has an interesting perspective from the point of view of a person who has been an activist for 42 years, is a senior citizen and NOT a transsexual.

Seems that some people forgot that the transgender community includes more than transsexuals.  She will be posting her report on my blog when she gets home and gets some rest.  It will be nice to get as many perspectives on this historical event as possible.  Maybe Pam may want to post Angela's report, since she is another resident of North Carolina.

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by: MonicaH @ Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 18:55:05 PM CDT

HRC has an update...

http://www.hrc.org/10718.htm

Looking forward to your posts Autumn. How awesome that you are there in the thick of it!!!  

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by: juicyjuice @ Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 19:12:47 PM CDT

Col. Schroer's testimony...

...is also available on our website.

/Rachel

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by: ACLU @ Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 19:56:50 PM CDT

Thanks.

I just found it there, and was looking here to be sure it was noted. Here is quick link site to her testimony.

blog.aclu.org/2008/06/26/congressional-hearing-on-transgender-discrimination/

Straight for Equality MD  

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

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by: Orion45 @ Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 16:54:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Remember the ERA debate in the '70s?

Shameless fearmongering demagogues used the bathroom issue on that too. Tell them get their minds out of the toilet. Pathetic!

Here's what I find about compromise--
don't do it if it hurts inside,
'cause either way you're screwed,
eventually you'll find
you may as well feel good;
you may as well have some pride

--Indigo Girls

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by: Hypatia @ Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 22:36:12 PM CDT

JC Miller's was the most important testimony

Why? She was the other minority witness.

And what she testified to was not just the practical difficulties in implementing an inclusive ENDA, but some suggestions about overcoming them.

She was not against the idea. The battle for the moral high ground has been won. Now we're talking about implementation details, HOW not WHETHER.

And if we have two neurons that fire consecutively, we'll point out that existing accommodation provisions for the anatomically anomalous Intersexed people already should be being provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and that the lack of caselaw on the subject shows that in practice, it's not a problem. We just do what is already being done.  

Yes, I've already written her a letter to that effect, and pointed her to the Intersex Society of North America website.


There is no situation so complex it can't get even worse

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by: ZoeB @ Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 03:17:44 AM CDT

More About Rep. Frank

While I appreciate many of his kind remarks, I found it a bit unsettling how often he talked of trans people as being "disturbing" to some people.  Frank's heart is probably in the right place, but gah, his contempt for trans people is hard to hide.

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by: eastsidekate @ Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 09:34:40 AM CDT

He's old

Older people's brains become set in their ways and find it harder to let go of prejudices learned during youth. Throughout human history progress has become possible when the older generation dies off and makes way for a new generation that grew up without the prejudice.

Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall

What I care about is if he produces positive results.

Here's what I find about compromise--
don't do it if it hurts inside,
'cause either way you're screwed,
eventually you'll find
you may as well feel good;
you may as well have some pride

--Indigo Girls

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by: Hypatia @ Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 11:23:37 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Transcripts?

Ethan St. Pierre has the full audio of the hearings:
http://radicalguy.podOmatic.co...

There's a lot of great testimony, but I have to say that Diego Sanchez gave the most moving account of the need for anti-discrimination laws I've ever heard-- it's roughly 33 1/2 minutes in.

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by: eastsidekate @ Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 09:58:11 AM CDT

Keeping our eyea open

Hello everyone.
It was great seeing Autumn and everyone else at the hearings.  I am putting together my perspective on them and as much as I am totally stoked about what happened and feel like someone who had been planning for 42 years to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and just succeeded, after the hearing I felt like I was stepping out of the barrel and hearing the cheer of the crowd and asking myself the big question, "so whats next"?

Two important observations I made:
I hate it whan people like Tammy Baldwin make statments like "people who are trapped in the wrong body" type of talk.  She should know better and it scares me a bit to find out that she is not as aware as I thought she might be. It limits our community and it's diversity and sends the wrong message to our enemies.  They listen and they know our weak points and that leads me into the second point.

Ms. Miller made a number of statments that alluded to her problems with protective legislation for our jobs.  Her starting of point was "definitions".  Who are we?  How are we defined?

This is a trick statement designed to create separations and doubts in our community with levels of classism and elitism that they already know exist and are hot points in our own discussions.  For Pete's sake, lets everyone in our community stop feeding these people the arrows to fire at us!!!!!

The person in the closet is just as important in our community, as the person who is post-op and has been living full time for 20 years.  Ms. Miller and her ilk are trying to define and separate us.  There is no mistake about this and it continues to be a problem.  If you don't hear it in her testimony, then you are closing your ears to the truth and joining the enemy.  Don't let them do this to us!!!!  We define ourselves as individuals, but we fight as a united community under one banner and we will not be minimalized into smaller sections.

More to come and have a great day everyone.

Angela Brightfeather

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by: britfether @ Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 12:56:56 PM CDT

Careful about

when others don't hear what you hear, calling them "the enemy." Whoa.

Here's what I find about compromise--
don't do it if it hurts inside,
'cause either way you're screwed,
eventually you'll find
you may as well feel good;
you may as well have some pride

--Indigo Girls

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by: Hypatia @ Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 17:04:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]