As a student of politics, I like to keep track of quotes made by some of the great political leaders of our time. So this is a little quiz. Let's try to match the famous homophobic politician with the less than inspirational quote that goes with him… "Gay people are intellectually dishonest in just about everything they do or say." "Homosexuality is a sin. You should try to show them a way to deal with that problem, just like alcohol..." "What they want … is for people with penises who identify as women to be able to shower with other women." The first two are rather obvious. If you said Jesse Helms and Trent Lott you are right. The third one might surprise you. If you guessed Barney Frank, you are indeed very perceptive. Go to the head of the class. What? How can I possibly put Barney Frank in the same category as Helms and Lott? Barney Frank, the great gay hope, the darling of the Stonewall Democrats, the face of the gay community in Congress? |
Turns out that Frank's actions are denying transgender people inclusion in ENDA, just like Helms' and Lott's actions for years have denied gays and lesbians equal rights under the law. And it turns out that Franks' words, just like those of Helms and Lott, are being used by the extreme rightwing to validate their denial of such rights. Last week Philadelphia City Council passed a gender identity amendment to their human rights ordinance by an overwhelming 15 to 2 vote. But just a few days before, the homophobic American Family Association (AFA) wrote a diatribe to all the Philadelphia aldermen, quoting Frank and urging a "NO" vote on the amendment. The AFA even included the "people with penises in showers" quote. This is a portion of that letter: "It was with great alarm that I read Council is considering legislation which would expand the City's Fair Practices Ordinance to include "gender identity." In 1982 the City chose to give special rights to persons based on their lifestyle choice -- homosexuality. Now the City of Brotherly Love is poised to join the small number of other municipalities which have included "gender identity" as a protected status. This wording is so radical that openly homosexual Representative Barney Frank, D. Mass, opposes it. He is arguably the leading advocate of the homosexual agenda in the U.S. Congress, yet he specifically warns that so-called "transgender" activists will use such language to literally demand that men who believe they're women be allowed to use women's restrooms and showers. |
[Barney Frank is quoted] "There are workplace situations -- communal showers, for example --when the demands of the transgender community fly in the face of conventional norms and therefore would not pass in any Congress…" What is the common denominator among Helms, Lott and Frank? I mean, besides the obvious… that their words reflect stereotypes, and they reveal real ignorance of the issues. Turns out that all three are spokespersons for rightwing extremists. The majority of the Philadelphia City Councilmen were intelligent enough to see this drivel for what it was worth. In fact, some of the councilmen commented that words like these in the local paper actually strengthened their resolve to vote in favor of the gender identity amendment. In Philadelphia and in all cities considering these types of ordinances, these stereotypical fears have been addressed and have been resolved. In Chicago, we looked at these issues and dealt with them very early on in the process of seeking transgender rights. People like Helms, Lott and Frank just can't see past the stereotype to the human face behind it. They can't see that their words are driving kids to suicide. They can't see that their actions are giving tacit approval to hate crimes. They can't see that physical and sexual assault and murder of anyone who strays outside of gender lines is an indirect result of their actions in the denial of the basic human rights of gender variant people. With friends like Barney Frank in Congress, who needs enemies? |
Miranda Writes...