eQualityThinking Panel 2: Does the "T" in LGBTQ Mean Anything More Than "Token"?

From Masen Davis [99.17.53.17] - Jan. 30, 2011 8:06 PM

Unfortunately we don't have any good, solid data re the number of transgender people in the U.S. It will be hard to know how many of us exist until transgender people show up in the Census and population studies. Right now, many estimates are under-counted, especially since they rely on trangender- and transsexual-identified people accessing social services or transition-specific providers (many of us don't access either). Best estimates I have seen have run from .05%-1%. And that doesn't include gender non-conforming people (many trans legal and policy groups deal with both gender identity and gender expression, which means the populations served by these organizations and projects are broader than one might expect).

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From J Todd - Jan. 30, 2011 7:46 PM

HOW DOES THE HRC BOARD SOLICIT FEEDBACK FROM THE BROADER COMMUNITY ON STRATEGIC ISSUES OF CONCERN TO US ALL?

SOME INFO MAY BE RELEVANT:

TRANS PEOPLE ARE ROUGHLY .O2% OF THE POPULATION;   GLB 8% ROUGHLY.

3 MILLION OUT OF 80 MILLION (CUMULATIVE BUDGET TOP 15 GROUPS)

QUESTION:  What is the difference between the T and the gay agenda legislatively?  If we seek both SO+GI in the federal laws, does this go away?

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From Masen Davis [99.17.53.17] - Jan. 30, 2011 7:29 PM

Transgender people in the U.S. tend to have many needs - such as access to jobs, healthcare access, and housing - that are not currently prioritized by many LGBT organizations and funders. How can we better promote and support a movement that champions a policy agenda that more fully integrates the needs of transgender people?

I'm also struck that many of the transgender-specific organizations in the U.S. have relatively small donor bases. In 2010, a foundation convened the largest transgender organizations and projects (including those housed at larger LGBT organizations) and found that the combined budget of all of the groups represented was less than $3 million (in aggregate). How can we build on conversations like this to strengthen support for organizations and projects where transgender issues are not tokenized?

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From Jackie Santopietro [67.6.15.201] - Jan. 30, 2011 7:29 PM

Do we the "T"  part of the LGBTQ community need to involve ourselves on a much grander scale with larger numbers of volunteers/activists on a local and National level; shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the community to overcome the "Token" mentality and to gain full acceptance?

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From Zoe Brain [121.127.195.188] - Jan. 30, 2011 7:12 PM

Now that it's moot - what was the final wording in ENDA that had it stuck in committee for so long? Why were we not told the wording - it's difficult advocating for a bill when we don't know what's in it? Why the hold put on the day before it was due in committee, and why the repeated assurances by Rep Frank that it would definitely be out next week, next month, tomorrow etc.

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From Cei Bell [98.141.191.110] - Jan. 30, 2011 6:46 PM

I have been in the LGBT movements since the early 70s and have found the lesbian and gay political communities (as opposed to individuals) often hostile and dismissive.  I am on the Board of Liberty City Democratic Club where I feel like a token.  If this inclusiveness hasn't happened by now when will it ever happen?  I have been thinking that trans peoples should stop waiting for inclusiveness from lesbian and gay people and align with other groups that are working for gender equality such and feminist women.  This may be a good time to bring back the Equal Rights Amendment and make it trans inclusive.

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From J Todd - Jan. 30, 2011 4:24 PM

Last year we filed bills to add "sexual orientation and gender identity" to the Civil Rights Act for Employment (Title VII, indirectly), Federal Funded Programs (Title VI - 3 Bills for School, Health care, and Foster care/adoption programs, not all programs), and Housing (Title VIII).  Since we are already seeking to amend the CRA's main provisions, does it make sense to repackage these, add the few missing areas, and call it an "equal civil rights" bill?  

Couldn't this end the debate about T exclusion, and unify our movement?

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From Kathy Padilla [68.81.154.132] - Jan. 30, 2011 3:56 PM

Is the push to obtain or to protect marriage rights in states that already cover sexual orientation but not gender identity and expression  in employment nondiscrimination laws going to delay employment protections in those jurisdictions? How long? 10 - 20 years? What's the average delay from passing a non-inclusive bill to passing one that cover gender identity and expression?

Does not passing these laws in those jurisdictions derail passing an inclusive  federal enda or more expansive civil rights bill two years from now? Will people be saying - "it's not in my district/state?" or "the education clearly hasn't been done on this issue" or "how can this pass on the federal level if it hasn't passed in states that cover S.O. or have marriage? 

 

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From Dana LaRocca - Jan. 30, 2011 3:54 PM

Here in Maryland there is a bill before the General Assembly that would ad “Gender Identity” to existing anti-discrimination laws in the areas of employment and housing. Previous versions of the bill have included public accommodations.
I’d like to hear the panelist’s views on the merits and demerits of presenting a bill that does not include public accommodations. If it is passed will it hurt the efforts in other states to pass laws that include public accommodations?

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From Juan Ahonen Jover - Jan. 30, 2011 9:53 AM

What's the situation of trans people serving in the military?

 

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From Sean M - Jan. 30, 2011 9:41 AM

A question for EACH panelist: Rep Frank made in the past very trans-phobic remarks. Does he fully understand and embrace now the trans community?

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From Sean M - Jan. 30, 2011 9:34 AM

Even if some claimed that we did not have the votes, why ENDA was not put for a vote in the last Congress? Please tell us the true reasons.

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From eQualityGiving - Jan. 30, 2011 8:17 AM

Question received from Christine:

Why haven't LGBT orgs made a real effort to be inclusive?  Why do we include the "T" if trans people are not going to be treated equally?  Examples on the federal level would be the total absence of a speech relating only to trans issues from any senior staffer at HRC since the fall of 2007, or the presence of either none or only one person on the HRC Board of Directors (out of a total of 45) since the addition of the "T" in 2004. The Task Force does a little better, GLAAD even worse. But in total these are no more than token efforts at inclusion.

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From Dana Beyer [69.140.178.169] - Jan. 29, 2011 6:32 PM

Would the trans community be better off focusing on the courts rather than legislatures? Recent victories: Smith v City of Salem and Schroer v Billington would seem to point in that direction.

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From CarolD - Jan. 29, 2011 12:02 AM

I have been fortunate to know and be friends with transgendered people since the 1970's. I am always amazed at the ignorance and hostility that some members of the LGBTQ community have toward transgendered people. Would it not be advantageous to enlighten our community? Reach out to every organization. Reach out to young people, seniors, people of color, religious organizations, etc. Send people to talk to them. Let them ask questions and get to know transgendered people. I have never seen anything sponsored by Sage or any religious organization and others. The only people that are seen are drag queens and very young FTMS. Get your asses out of the closet! 

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From Jillian Weiss [69.116.119.23] - Jan. 28, 2011 7:32 PM

In my 2004 article in the Journal of Bisexuality, GL vs. BT: The Archaeology of Biphobia and Transphobia Within the U.S. Gay and Lesbian Community, I suggested that the lack of representation of trans-identified people in the LGB community was a result of power-relations, with gender-accommodationists having gained the ascendency and rejected the previous identification of the homosexual movement with trans-ness in order to gain political power through a "just-like-you" strategy.  Do you agree with this assessment, or do you think the cause is due to something else?

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