Putting the -T- Back in LGBT
We hear it all the time: "The LGBT Community." We call ourselves the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, but too often we don't include all the members of our community when we fight for rights or equality. Some find it increasingly convenient to simply leave out the "T" when asking for support from the American public for the sake of "small steps" to equality. Why do leave out the part of us that needs help the most? The transgender citizens of our community need our help and support.
In Broward County, the Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) is being updated to ban discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Right now individuals can legally be fired, denied service in restaurants and other places of public accommodation, prevented from renting or purchasing property, and discriminated against and harassed in virtually every other aspect of their lives simply because their appearance, personal characteristics, or behaviors differ from stereotypes about how men and women are "supposed to act." There has been a small handful of people within our own community that say we need to wait longer to protect our trans brothers and sisters from discrimination. They say this out of ignorance and fear. This handful of people wishing to exclude the transgender community say they fear a "backlash" and repeal effort from the religious right, as happened years ago when sexual orientation was added to the ordinance. What they don't say is that those efforts were fought back then and will likely not happen again. In fact, six Florida municipalities (Gulfport, Key West, Miami Beach, Monroe County, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach) have already added gender identity and expression to their Human Rights Ordinances with no problems or backlash. Also, 103 other state and municipal government protect their transgender citizens by ensuring them equal access to employment, housing and public accommodations. No protections for gay, lesbian and bisexual people have EVER been repealed as a result of a state or local government adding protections based on gender identity or expression. The fact is that we have waited to long and too many have suffered from this continued exclusion.
Adding gender identity and expression will protect transgender people who experience tremendous discrimination in the workplace and who all too often are the targets of vicious harassment and violence. In fact, those who most transgress gender norms in our society face disproportionate levels of violence and harassment and need a safe environment. A few weeks ago in Dayton Beach, Florida, a 34 year-old transgender woman was shot in the head and killed for wearing a dress. Sadly, this is all too common. One expert estimates that transgender individuals living in America today have a one in 12 chance of being murdered. This is in contrast to the average person having about a one in 18,000 chance of being murdered. Every day that we don't fight for rights and protections is another day for transpeople to live with those odds.
Yet these additions don't only affect the transgender community. They strengthen and affect us all. Adding protections based on gender identity or expression makes all human rights laws stronger because gender oppression and discrimination affects everyone. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and even many heterosexual people challenge gender boundaries and may be the victims of discrimination and violence as a result. In fact, studies of anti-gay discrimination indicate that up to 75% of discrimination is caused by a reaction to gender expression, not actual knowledge that someone is lesbian, gay or bisexual. For example, if a straight man speaks with a high pitch voice and is harassed or attacked for being effeminate, there is no protection for him. Sexual orientation language does not cover this kind of discrimination.
Now is the time to step up and truly fight for equality for all of our community. We cannot stand by in fear of backlash while those within our community are harassed and killed. We are at a time when we have never been stronger or more focused on gaining equality and the basic human rights we all deserve. How can we ask members of our own community to go hide back in the closet and wait to be protected? It is our duty to include everyone who seeks equal rights and protection and truly put the "T" back in LGBT.
Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a non-profit organization focused on helping GLBT individuals who are victims of discrimination and hate.
www.fightoutloud.org
*Originally published in GaySoFla Magazine (http://www.gaysofla.com)*
In Broward County, the Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) is being updated to ban discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Right now individuals can legally be fired, denied service in restaurants and other places of public accommodation, prevented from renting or purchasing property, and discriminated against and harassed in virtually every other aspect of their lives simply because their appearance, personal characteristics, or behaviors differ from stereotypes about how men and women are "supposed to act." There has been a small handful of people within our own community that say we need to wait longer to protect our trans brothers and sisters from discrimination. They say this out of ignorance and fear. This handful of people wishing to exclude the transgender community say they fear a "backlash" and repeal effort from the religious right, as happened years ago when sexual orientation was added to the ordinance. What they don't say is that those efforts were fought back then and will likely not happen again. In fact, six Florida municipalities (Gulfport, Key West, Miami Beach, Monroe County, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach) have already added gender identity and expression to their Human Rights Ordinances with no problems or backlash. Also, 103 other state and municipal government protect their transgender citizens by ensuring them equal access to employment, housing and public accommodations. No protections for gay, lesbian and bisexual people have EVER been repealed as a result of a state or local government adding protections based on gender identity or expression. The fact is that we have waited to long and too many have suffered from this continued exclusion.
Adding gender identity and expression will protect transgender people who experience tremendous discrimination in the workplace and who all too often are the targets of vicious harassment and violence. In fact, those who most transgress gender norms in our society face disproportionate levels of violence and harassment and need a safe environment. A few weeks ago in Dayton Beach, Florida, a 34 year-old transgender woman was shot in the head and killed for wearing a dress. Sadly, this is all too common. One expert estimates that transgender individuals living in America today have a one in 12 chance of being murdered. This is in contrast to the average person having about a one in 18,000 chance of being murdered. Every day that we don't fight for rights and protections is another day for transpeople to live with those odds.
Yet these additions don't only affect the transgender community. They strengthen and affect us all. Adding protections based on gender identity or expression makes all human rights laws stronger because gender oppression and discrimination affects everyone. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and even many heterosexual people challenge gender boundaries and may be the victims of discrimination and violence as a result. In fact, studies of anti-gay discrimination indicate that up to 75% of discrimination is caused by a reaction to gender expression, not actual knowledge that someone is lesbian, gay or bisexual. For example, if a straight man speaks with a high pitch voice and is harassed or attacked for being effeminate, there is no protection for him. Sexual orientation language does not cover this kind of discrimination.
Now is the time to step up and truly fight for equality for all of our community. We cannot stand by in fear of backlash while those within our community are harassed and killed. We are at a time when we have never been stronger or more focused on gaining equality and the basic human rights we all deserve. How can we ask members of our own community to go hide back in the closet and wait to be protected? It is our duty to include everyone who seeks equal rights and protection and truly put the "T" back in LGBT.
Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a non-profit organization focused on helping GLBT individuals who are victims of discrimination and hate.
www.fightoutloud.org
*Originally published in GaySoFla Magazine (http://www.gaysofla.com)*
