A new approach on ENDA HRC joins other groups in insisting that transgenders be included in fair-employment legislation By David Webb Staff Reporter Dallas Voice, June 20, 2003 Inclusion of gender identity and expression in proposed federal nondiscrimination legislation appears unlikely in Congress, but transgender activists say they are far from discouraged. This year marks the first time for the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activism community to stand together in the quest for equality, said Paisley Currah, a board member of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute. National, state and local organizations sought inclusion for everyone in the proposed Employment Non Discrimination Act, he said. Currah said that transgender activism is at a “watershed moment.” “We believe that this has forever altered the political landscape of our national movement,” Currah said. “We believe it is only a matter of time before any federal legislation dealing with gay rights will as a matter of course also include transgender people.” During a conference call with the gay media this week, transgender activists announced a new initiative to “create a new legislative vehicle that will include both sexual orientation and gender identity.” Twenty-four national advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the American Civil Liberties Union, will assist the effort, they said. “We are now at the point in our national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement where we are no longer fighting each other for transgender inclusion,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “We attribute the growing support to a better understanding among all of us of our similarities. Not only is there tremendous overlap between transgender people and gay, lesbian or bisexual people, but we have the same goals, the same friends, the same enemies.” Forty state organizations have signed on in support of the effort, said Miranda Stevens-Miller, youth advocacy director for Illinois Gender Advocates. Gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who previously raised concerns about the inclusion of transgenders in the federal legislation is “now agreeable to the language,” said Jennifer Levi, senior staff attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. “Any remaining concerns with him are political ones,” Levi said. Congressional sponsors of the proposed legislation protecting the employment rights of gays are pessimistic about its chances of passage. So “transgender inclusion cannot possibly hinder [its] prospects,” Keisling said. Transgender Law and Policy Institute board member Kylar W. Broadus attributed the Human Rights Campaign’s late emergence as a supporter of transgender rights to its size. “It took a while to get all of the ducks in a row,” said Broadus, a former employee of the Human Rights Campaign. “I don’t think that’s atypical of an organization that size.” Keisling noted that transgender activists made great strides in 2002 with 14 local jurisdictions — including Dallas — adding anti-discrimination protection based on gender identity and expression. Six localities in New Mexico have added similar protection so far this year, she said. “The greatest strength of the transgender movement is local activism,” Keisling said. “So we expect that any federal effort would rely heavily on grassroots activists getting involved and educating their members of Congress about the need for transgender rights.” Keisling said that Dallas Transgender Alliance President Tylana Coop and her organization work last getting gender identity included in the new nondiscrimination ordinance was “extremely helpful not only in Dallas itself but around the country as an example.” She also praised the work of other national transgender leaders such as Vanessa Foster of Houston for their “great work” in Texas. “Dallas may not be known as a hotbed of liberalism, but the work of Tylana and others shows that it is becoming a hotbed of tolerance and fairness,” Keisling said. “And that is a great example for other large cities that protecting people’s rights is something Texans believe in.” Coop said that local transgender activists currently visit employers, schools and organizations to educate about gender identity, expression and orientation in an effort to show the importance of gender-related protections for not only transsexuals, but for everyone who is gender-variant. Although the transgender alliance is not a political organization, it does urge transgender to contact their elected representatives, she said. “It’s through this education that we open people’s minds to considering gender-related protections both locally and nationally,” Coop said. “We feel that by drawing attention to issues like high unemployment, job discrimination, homelessness, and HIV rates among transgenders, that this will help demonstrate the need for gender-friendly legislation.” Stevens-Miller said that transgender activists from around the country participated in a conference call to discuss strategy last week. A network of activists is expected to begin contacting U.S. Congress members. “It’s very high on the radar screen,” Stevens-Miller said. “Everyone is aware of it, and the whole transgender community is behind us.” Questions about transgender rights are expected to increasingly be asked of candidates on all political levels, said Shannon Minter, legal director for National Center for Lesbian Rights. “They are going to have to develop a response, because it is something that the entire community cares about very deeply,” Minter said.

Paisely Currah, Board member of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute, and Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality