Washington, DC
ICTLEP'S goal is to educate everyone about just how bad the employment situation is for ALL transgenders -- from cross dressers and drags who simply want to keep their jobs if it becomes known, through women who can still get fired if they wear pants to work, and to transexuals who are transitioning on the job or seeking new employment.
ICTLEP wants to insure that those folks on the "hill" and in the White House understand that Title VII's "sex" protection does not cover transgenders and that the current, Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF) sponsored Employment Non-Discrimination Act's (ENDA, House 1863 and Senate 932) "sexual orientation" protection will not cover transgenders either.
The language needed deals with the area of "gender identification" and appearance.
Frye hopes to be allowed to extend the invitation to include others from ICTLEP, and also representatives from the TG Men's community, It's Time America, and Transexual Menace.
Three of us leafletted the HRCF event with Candace Gingrich. Just short of 200 folks attending. No negative responses to our leafletting or to our message. A lot of very positive encouragement. Candace is now the proud owner of a black Transexual Menace T-shirt. She thanks us (told her it would be a collectors' item some day) and "The ICTLEP Reporter". Candace is a very genuine, down to earth person. Geez, folks love those TM T-shirts. All three were invited to the HRCF Federal Club (got bucks hoi poloi) gathering following and got about 10 minutes with Candace and one of the Federal Club co-chairs (Priscilla Magouirk) -- we're making progress in folks on transgender inclusion in employment issues, but we're not completely around the bases yet.
PHILADELPHIA
Source: Grassroot QUEERS Tracy@critpath.org or Renaissance News at CyberQueen@cdspub.com
Group Phorms in Philly: Philm at 11! A new group has formed in Philadelphia-based devoted to transgender empowerment through political activism called TransActions. Not a "support" group, TA arose out of the need to address issues on the level of social change and seeks an alliance amongst all segments of the tg spectrum. Towards this end, TA is committed to diversity of all flavors: gender, race, sexuality and class, etc. In fact, TA is committed to political coalition-building around *all* forms of oppression, because they see *all* injustices as integral parts of TG politics & lives.
"I'd rather be in ENDA" - WC Fields
With smiles on our faces, Grassroot Queers and Renaissance handed out Renaissance-supplied informational fliers to all those entering the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where Candace Gingrich was scheduled to speak. Naively, they took them, thinking maybe that we were giving out programs. Inside the hotter-than-hell auditorium, people fanned themselves with the fliers as they listened to a tedious speech about the joys of giving money to the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF). They had been forewarned about the possibility of disruption over their exclusion of transgendered people in the Employment Non-discrimination Act, or ENDA. The highlight of the evening came when Nancy Forest of Renaissance stood and made an eloquent speech in which she demanded to know who would fight for her equalities as a transgendered woman. Who would protect her job, her housing, her basic human rights? HRCF stumbled with answers and lip-service about "opening a dialogue" with transgendered individuals and about revisiting the issue.
CINCINNATI
Source: Diane Torrance 74322.143@Compuserve.com
The local SinCity transgroup is small, but getting vocal. Activists have been meeting with the local Stonewall folks as well as the Gay Community center, pressing for more... you guessed, it: transinclusion. CincyQueers are just learning to spell T-R-A-N-S.
CLEVELAND
Source: Emilio/a Lombardi EmilioLombardi@Uakron.Edu.
Representatives from the HRCF were signing people up and soliciting for funds when I arrived at Dancing in the Streets carnival (an AIDS fundraiser). I first went to their table and talked with representative about HCRF's actions to let them know how I felt about that and to let them know I was giving out flyers to let others know as well. After that I proceded to hand out all the flyers that I had with me (about 100). This being the first time I ever handed out flyers I was surprised at how quickly they all were taken, after an hour I wished I had more to give out. Overall, people were freindly and many were open to what we had to say. If there is anyone within NE Ohio who wants to help me out in future events (as I was working alone at this one and would love some help as well as some company) please give me a holler.
NAT'L LESBIAN & GAY LAW ASSO. (NLGLA)
Source: Phyllis Frye PRFrye@aol.com
The National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA, the nation's only queer law group affiliated with the American Bar Association(ABA), last year passed a landmark resolution in favor of transinclusion in ENDA and similar legislation thanks to the hard work of Phyllis and Ms. Sharon Ann Stuart. At their recent semi-annual board meeting in Chicago, both report that if anything, NLGLA's stance on inclusion of bi and transgender people had *strengthened*! Notes Phyllis: "[as] this afternoon's scheduled workshop that was winding down 45 minutes early. Sensing this, I asked if Sharon and I could have 30 minutes to present the ENDA fight with HRCF. Yes, Yes! So we gave them the whole story plus the IBGR. Many (not on net) did not know. There were no HRCF supporters, only shock and anger over what HRCF was doing."
ATLANTA
Source: Dallas Denny aegis@mindspring.com
Wow, what a weekend! Great turnout of t-people for Pride and a very successful action publicizing the exclusion of transgender from ENDA. It must be said that the Atlanta G&L Pride folks have been very very good to us: there are 2 transpeople on the Pride Committee and the parade title includes Bisexual and Trangender. In fact, most Atlanta quuer stuff includes bi and trans in the title, and among the participants.
ENDA & Pride: Petra and I had spoken to the local HRCF folks, so they knew what to expect. During Pride, some of us engaged the HRCF booth crew to reassure them that we did the action with regret, but that this was an important issue. The local HRCF folks were more than decent about the whole thing; in fact, the local public policy coordinator *actually* *offered* to display copies of our flyer at their booth! We printed up and distributed 600 leaflets detailing the HRCF exclusion, fanned out through the Pride crowd, and handed them out. I'm sure I spoke to at least 150 folks myself and, without exception, everyone was receptive to our point of view. A very rewarding and fulfilling experience.
CHICAGO
Sources: Debbie Johson, Jdebbie@aol.com andStephanie Young 73257.2514@compuserve.com
CHI-TOWN CLOWNS DOWN HRCF GALS IN GOWNS (Okay, okay. So I'm _not_ exactly Variety with the story leads... sue me.) Well we did it! And *wow* what a blast the Chi-town HRCF fundraiser was! Fashion plates walking into the Grand Ballroom: The men looked like movie stars and the women had bleach blond hair just unplugged from the socket, eyes the color of ice, and slinky stiletto outfits. 7 of us trudged down to Navy Pier and passed out leaflets, working in groups of 2s and 3s, for a little over 2 hours. I can honestly say I thought we were very effective. We nearly exhausted our supply of 1000 leaflets with about 8 out of 10 people taking and reading them. The Chicago Police were very cool and wanted to read a copy of the leaflet. Executive Director Elizabeth Birch came out early and talked to us.
Several attendees commented that they were not aware of the HRCF's ENDA exclusion and most of these were pro inclusion, of course. Since the area we were working was also an outdoor cafe with a terrific view of the lake, a lot of "straights" were watching and several came up to us and asked for fliers. All of their comments were positive and they got a little "gender education" at the same time :-) Two great moments: we pressed a flyer into the hands of two of the wealthiest guys in Kenosha (my home town) and they looked delighted to get it. One said he was shocked at the exclusion and said was thick with the leadership back East. Then there was the elderly gent who stooped as he read the pamphlet-he could have been an emeritus professor of ornithology: "Jesus," he said. "Damn! and I'm a radical Fairy!"
Three transexual women led by Davina Anne Gabriel of KC, MO bravely entered the Festival this week and, once inside, outed themselves. For the first time since Nancy Jean Burkholder was expelled in '91, openly transexual women at Michigan did not encounter any problems with Festival Security or staff.
At last year's Camp Trans, Festival '94 organizers announced a strange and unholy strategy, stating that (a) their transphobic criteria of "womyn-born womyn only" would continue in force but (b) persons seeking to enter would have to decide _for_themselves_ (?) if they met the criteria for attendance, a more difficult task than it might appear since (c) organizers would no longer define what the phrase mean and in any case (d) Security would no longer police the gender of entrants (ie, put out the gendertrash each night). A number of Camp Transites entered last year's Festival as openly transexual women, stayed for a few hours, and left. Some wondered if the policy would soon be back fullforce.
At this point, it's too soon to tell. Although Davina and group were allowed to attend unmolested, they did not out themselvs until once inside. It may be that the yearly outcry from the transcommunity has *finally* changed the policy, but it is still anyone's guess if transfolks will be turned away if they try to *enter* openly and refuse to pass. However, the fact that these women were allowed to stay, once inside, can only a good sign. Stay tuned for '96 :-)
-------- Source: Loraine Rain@glib.org Bi-Bi love/ Bi-Bi happiness/ Hello Transgenderness/I think I'm gonna Dah-Eye... Looks like, BiNetUSA, a national membership organization for bi-activists, has just nominated and will almost certainly elect its very *first* transgender national coordintor: an M-t-M from Minneapolis. The times, the are a'changin'.
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