From the Stonewall Democrats - help the transgender community step up for Obama!
"On Monday, September 29, we’ll be holding a special coordinated blogging day to harness the power of the transgender community and trans allies to help elect Barack Obama. Check back here for more details!
The transgender community and our allies play a vital role in electing candidates across the country. We need to support Barack Obama based on his strong record of advocacy for the LGBT community; we also need to make sure we measure the impact transgender people and our allies are having on the campaign."
Even if it is just $5, please help. Let's help to elect Obama!
Go HERE to donate on the actblue website. All the money donated goes straight through to the campaign, nobody takes a cut.
Showing posts with label activism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activism. Show all posts
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, April 13, 2007
Steve Stanton's appearance on Larry King Live
Well, it is official. Steve Stanton will not sue Largo, but will be an advocate instead.
Although it would have been great to see the 11th Circuit deal with this before we have to face possible legal battles, I am very glad to know that Steve will be using his story to help raise awareness.
I do wonder if Claire's bosses watched the show tonight. If they did watch, did they connect the dots? Did they see Steve Stanton and think about Claire's nails, hair, voice, etc.? I guess we'll find out.
Once again, a big thanks to the National Center for Lesbian Rights for all they do to help transsexuals. And thanks, Larry King, for being really decent in your interview.
Metta,
Annie
Although it would have been great to see the 11th Circuit deal with this before we have to face possible legal battles, I am very glad to know that Steve will be using his story to help raise awareness.
I do wonder if Claire's bosses watched the show tonight. If they did watch, did they connect the dots? Did they see Steve Stanton and think about Claire's nails, hair, voice, etc.? I guess we'll find out.
Once again, a big thanks to the National Center for Lesbian Rights for all they do to help transsexuals. And thanks, Larry King, for being really decent in your interview.
Metta,
Annie
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The National Center for Lesbian Rights
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is assisting us with an issue right now. I have to say that this organization, like all the others I have dealt with so far in activist issues, is amazing.
I would deeply like to thank the LGB community for adding the T, and dragging the transgender crowd under their wings. There are so many groups out there fighting for equality that it amazes me. The part that really gets me is the fact that these groups like NCLR are just so welcoming to us as a T couple. They are really great people working on a lot of important cases right now, and if you haven't visited their website, you should.
For now, trans couples have a benefit that gay and lesbian relationships don't have, yet. They can marry, or stay married. If nothing changes, Claire and I can stay married after she fully transitions. While I am obviously very happy that the transition doesn't mean we have to divorce or annul our marriage, it brings with me an extra heavy weight that we have something our brothers and sisters don't have.
It makes me redouble my efforts as an activist. While obviously I care about issues that affect us, they pale in comparison to the stories of those kept out of hospital rooms while their partners lay injured or dying, unable to hold their hand, or worse yet, say goodbye. Who the hell is our government to tell us who should be recognized for basic things like car insurance, access to sick partners, or adoption? I have a friend that was separated from his partner because of immigration laws. It makes me angry to think that we the people only have the right to love who politicians deem suitable.
Georgia just stopped an attempt to ban adoptions for the LGBT community. Florida holds firm in refusing to let gay and lesbian couples adopt. They have thousands of children in foster homes or group homes, but God forbid that loving homosexual parents be allowed to offer a safe, loving and centered home for a child. We need more voices. It doesn't take much to join the activist alert lists, and even spending 5 minutes is a help when added up.
Please take a moment and get involved. You may not think it affects you, but odds are you have a family member or a friend that it does affect. And it's just the right thing to do.
Some other great groups:
Human Rights Campaign
Use Google to find your state'sEquality group (example)
National Center for Transgender Equality
American Civil Liberties Union
I would deeply like to thank the LGB community for adding the T, and dragging the transgender crowd under their wings. There are so many groups out there fighting for equality that it amazes me. The part that really gets me is the fact that these groups like NCLR are just so welcoming to us as a T couple. They are really great people working on a lot of important cases right now, and if you haven't visited their website, you should.
For now, trans couples have a benefit that gay and lesbian relationships don't have, yet. They can marry, or stay married. If nothing changes, Claire and I can stay married after she fully transitions. While I am obviously very happy that the transition doesn't mean we have to divorce or annul our marriage, it brings with me an extra heavy weight that we have something our brothers and sisters don't have.
It makes me redouble my efforts as an activist. While obviously I care about issues that affect us, they pale in comparison to the stories of those kept out of hospital rooms while their partners lay injured or dying, unable to hold their hand, or worse yet, say goodbye. Who the hell is our government to tell us who should be recognized for basic things like car insurance, access to sick partners, or adoption? I have a friend that was separated from his partner because of immigration laws. It makes me angry to think that we the people only have the right to love who politicians deem suitable.
Georgia just stopped an attempt to ban adoptions for the LGBT community. Florida holds firm in refusing to let gay and lesbian couples adopt. They have thousands of children in foster homes or group homes, but God forbid that loving homosexual parents be allowed to offer a safe, loving and centered home for a child. We need more voices. It doesn't take much to join the activist alert lists, and even spending 5 minutes is a help when added up.
Please take a moment and get involved. You may not think it affects you, but odds are you have a family member or a friend that it does affect. And it's just the right thing to do.
Some other great groups:
Human Rights Campaign
Use Google to find your state's
National Center for Transgender Equality
American Civil Liberties Union
Friday, March 23, 2007
My faith in humanity has been temporarily interrupted.
*I have edited this post. I had to walk away from it yesterday and regroup. The wounds were raw from watching the meeting when I wrote this. I realize now that I was referring to things that don't make sense if you aren't in the moment of listening to the people speak. I have attempted to clarify with my edits.*
Mayor Pat Gerard and Commissioner Woods, I respect you so very much for your integrity and for holding firm for human rights Friday night in the Largo commission meeting.
To the brave people that took the stand and stood up for human rights, I applaud you.
To those that stood up and spoke of your own struggles as a transgendered person, I am in awe of your courage.
To the commissioners I shall not name, words fail me. You had a chance to admit you made a mistake when you blatantly discriminated against someone with a medical condition.
In the past few weeks, there has been an incredible amount of personal attacks aimed at Steve Stanton, his family, and at transgendered people in general. These attacks have been made in letters to the editor, in newspaper forums, and in blogs like Troxler's blog of the St. Pete Times.
In the past few weeks, transgendered people have been called deviant, perverted, selfish, delusional and have been laughed at in the cruelest words these people could muster. My heart breaks for all the people that have read these attacks and know that these attackers are talking about them.
Is it any wonder that so many people that suffer from GID commit suicide? To all the people that cried and whined about Stanton being a terrible role model for children, do you not grasp the number of people that are transgendered? Can you not make the small jump mentally to realize that those very children you wish to protect include transgender children? These young and teenage transgendered kids will see your venom too, and thus perpetuate the cycle of maintaining high suicide rates. This is not a game, your hateful actions have consequences.
To those that are so disgusted that transsexuals dare to love, marry and have children, if only you could bring yourself to just expand your thinking for 5 minutes and look at the logic. This is a cycle. Transsexuals hide, marry, have families and try to outrun this thing their whole lives because of people just like you. When they do finally come out and deal with this later in life, you call them liars, deceivers, untrustworthy, selfish and shameful. You attack them for trying to hide and live a normal life. Yet, it is your actions that tell the 12 year old that they dare not speak of their own pain and transition young, that they must try harder to live the lie so that they might never be discovered. This is, indeed, a vicious cycle.
You say that the reason you want Stanton fired is because you can't trust him. You say he lied because he hid his transsexual nature from you. Your statements that wives and children are affected by transition and therefore the sufferers themselves are selfish for trying to save their own lives are inane. You don't know the pain that is felt by the sufferers themselves, those forced into hiding by society and who tried to live normal lives - so to not bring pain upon everyone in their world. I don't want pity. I'm an adult woman with a transsexual partner and I am proud to stand by her side and hold her hand.
You protesters claim pity for children that will be shamed and harassed by their peers because of the parent finally coming to grips with their gender issues. Yet your actions teach your children to do just that - harass, shame and threaten those very children.
When will we understand that people are people? When can we finally put all these issues to bed and just live our lives being kind souls?
Annie
Mayor Pat Gerard and Commissioner Woods, I respect you so very much for your integrity and for holding firm for human rights Friday night in the Largo commission meeting.
To the brave people that took the stand and stood up for human rights, I applaud you.
To those that stood up and spoke of your own struggles as a transgendered person, I am in awe of your courage.
To the commissioners I shall not name, words fail me. You had a chance to admit you made a mistake when you blatantly discriminated against someone with a medical condition.
In the past few weeks, there has been an incredible amount of personal attacks aimed at Steve Stanton, his family, and at transgendered people in general. These attacks have been made in letters to the editor, in newspaper forums, and in blogs like Troxler's blog of the St. Pete Times.
In the past few weeks, transgendered people have been called deviant, perverted, selfish, delusional and have been laughed at in the cruelest words these people could muster. My heart breaks for all the people that have read these attacks and know that these attackers are talking about them.
Is it any wonder that so many people that suffer from GID commit suicide? To all the people that cried and whined about Stanton being a terrible role model for children, do you not grasp the number of people that are transgendered? Can you not make the small jump mentally to realize that those very children you wish to protect include transgender children? These young and teenage transgendered kids will see your venom too, and thus perpetuate the cycle of maintaining high suicide rates. This is not a game, your hateful actions have consequences.
To those that are so disgusted that transsexuals dare to love, marry and have children, if only you could bring yourself to just expand your thinking for 5 minutes and look at the logic. This is a cycle. Transsexuals hide, marry, have families and try to outrun this thing their whole lives because of people just like you. When they do finally come out and deal with this later in life, you call them liars, deceivers, untrustworthy, selfish and shameful. You attack them for trying to hide and live a normal life. Yet, it is your actions that tell the 12 year old that they dare not speak of their own pain and transition young, that they must try harder to live the lie so that they might never be discovered. This is, indeed, a vicious cycle.
You say that the reason you want Stanton fired is because you can't trust him. You say he lied because he hid his transsexual nature from you. Your statements that wives and children are affected by transition and therefore the sufferers themselves are selfish for trying to save their own lives are inane. You don't know the pain that is felt by the sufferers themselves, those forced into hiding by society and who tried to live normal lives - so to not bring pain upon everyone in their world. I don't want pity. I'm an adult woman with a transsexual partner and I am proud to stand by her side and hold her hand.
You protesters claim pity for children that will be shamed and harassed by their peers because of the parent finally coming to grips with their gender issues. Yet your actions teach your children to do just that - harass, shame and threaten those very children.
When will we understand that people are people? When can we finally put all these issues to bed and just live our lives being kind souls?
Annie
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