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Between the Lines: Bill leaves out transgendered
Jennifer Morgan
Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: Opinion
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Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007, a bill in Congress that will extend current workplace discrimination laws to the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered community.
Today I am writing to tell you that Congress, in yet another brilliant move, has taken a bill that is supposed to prevent discrimination, and tainted it with their own form of discrimination.
Congress announced last week that it will change the language of the current bill to only include sexual orientation. This means that if passed I, and others from the lesbian, gay and bi-sexual community, will be protected, but once again our brothers and sisters in the transgendered community will suffer intentional discrimination at the hands of our government.
The American Psychological Association defines transgender as, "an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity (sense of themselves as male of female) or gender expression differs from that usually associated with their birth sex."
This includes transsexuals, cross-dressers, gender queers, and transvestites.
To society, all of these people are freaks.
For example, let's look at a transsexual man who wants to go through the gender reassignment surgery to finally become the woman he has always felt he was supposed to be. He is considered to be a freak because it's incomprehensible that a man could actually have surgery to become a woman, or vice-versa.
People think of cross-dressers, and they think of the weird man that walks around his house in women's underwear. They fail to realize that the majority of cross-dressers are straight men that enjoy wearing a piece, or a whole outfit, of women's clothing.
Think transvestite, and you probably associate the word with Hollywood's image of the transvestite hooker on the corner.
The truth is, is that the members of the transgendered community are people who have had to suffer a different kind of hell than you and I will ever understand.
Today I am writing to tell you that Congress, in yet another brilliant move, has taken a bill that is supposed to prevent discrimination, and tainted it with their own form of discrimination.
Congress announced last week that it will change the language of the current bill to only include sexual orientation. This means that if passed I, and others from the lesbian, gay and bi-sexual community, will be protected, but once again our brothers and sisters in the transgendered community will suffer intentional discrimination at the hands of our government.
The American Psychological Association defines transgender as, "an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity (sense of themselves as male of female) or gender expression differs from that usually associated with their birth sex."
This includes transsexuals, cross-dressers, gender queers, and transvestites.
To society, all of these people are freaks.
For example, let's look at a transsexual man who wants to go through the gender reassignment surgery to finally become the woman he has always felt he was supposed to be. He is considered to be a freak because it's incomprehensible that a man could actually have surgery to become a woman, or vice-versa.
People think of cross-dressers, and they think of the weird man that walks around his house in women's underwear. They fail to realize that the majority of cross-dressers are straight men that enjoy wearing a piece, or a whole outfit, of women's clothing.
Think transvestite, and you probably associate the word with Hollywood's image of the transvestite hooker on the corner.
The truth is, is that the members of the transgendered community are people who have had to suffer a different kind of hell than you and I will ever understand.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Renee
posted 10/09/07 @ 7:51 AM CST
Please note that a transsexul man is actually a person who goes from a female phenotype to a male phenotype. Also known as a transman.
A transsexual woman is a person who goes from a male phenotype to a female phenotype. (Continued…)
Lea
posted 10/09/07 @ 9:03 AM CST
So much for "Liberty and Justice for ALL," huh?
When will people get it through their heads that by excluding a group of people, we put ourselves at risk? We allow the government to ignore the rights of a group of people, and before long WE'RE the group of people who's rights are getting ignored. (Continued…)
Mara Drummond
posted 10/09/07 @ 3:07 PM CST
Thank you for standing up for all of our rights. Very well said! Mara
Zoe Brain
posted 10/10/07 @ 9:11 AM CST
Maureen, you have a better idea than you know.
You can imagine how it feels to have facial hair sprouting instead of breasts at age 14. You can imagine what it is like to be shunned by other girls in your pre-teens, after all, you look like a boy. (Continued…)
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