• After pussy footing around impotent ENDA, HRC’s asking members to get involved. Says President Joe Solmonese:
Late last week, House leaders announced their decision to change the language of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) so that it only includes sexual orientation and not gender identity. These House leaders have said that they do not have enough votes to move forward with the original fully-inclusive bill.
We are profoundly disappointed by this move, and I want to explain our position and ask you to write your congress member today.
Sign their pre-written letter here.
• George Takei’s hard as a rock: asteroid named in gay actor’s honor.
• Jenna Bush on Larry King. And, no, she doesn’t so like an idiot. She could, however, have a future as a publicist.
• Taiwanese politicians pressed on gay rights.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
• Questions surround lesbian soldiers death.
• Men like sleeping with partners.
• Putin’s power mongering no good for gay rights.
&bull Should we shed a tear for Hedi Slimane?
Ryan
So instead of pushing for a bill that would at least allow most glbt people workplace discrimination protections, we’re advocating that none of them receive it. Oh, yeah, that’s smart.
Meanwhile, we could have pushed to get this thing passed in the house and senate, where Bush would have either had to veto it or sign it. Either way, it would have helped pave the movement, as his veto would have been very unpopular and widely denounced in the MSM. If it passed, we could have then persued the more difficult GENDA, except now we’d have the momentum and ability to say to potential people who voted for ENDA but not GENDA “well, you passed the other one, don’t transgendered people deserve the same benefits?” That would have been a tough thing for them to say no to, if we managed to pass ENDA first.
But, no. Our movement doesn’t want to let any one group of people reach some progress unless everyone else comes along with them – even if that means undermining the entire movement in the process. Instead of working together to reach continuous, even if somewhat small, progress – we’re just acting as weights on each others back. Thank god some people in the movement are intelligent, otherwise none of us would even be familiar with such terms as “marriage equality” and “civil unions.”
I can’t believe how shortsighted so many people in our movement are. It’s pathetic, really.
Alexa
What’s pathetic is that some of us would sell out the rest. Do you really think that if the watered down enda gets signed that there will be a big push to get the whole thing?
Ryan
I can’t attest to other people, but certainly from my corner. No one stopped pushing right after Brown v. the Board of Education came about.
We’re only at the beginning of this movement. What will propel it faster is continuous progress, even if that progress is comes in small steps. Each victory will build momentum and bring more and more people to our side.
We have to stop thinking of glbt rights as g,l,b,t – and think of it as a wide-spread, greater movement. The only way that can work – with glbt people working together – is if g&l&b&t people promise not to undermine each other. What I mean by that is if there’s a chance to pass something or push for something that helps one group, we can’t cry foul that it doesn’t include everyone. Preventing ENDA from passing because it didn’t include “t” undermined the greater movement and forced us to concede all the effort put into ENDA (and GENDA).
Now we’re starting from scratch, instead of from a position where we can add onto one or the other and turn it into a complete package in the near future. Of course, trans folk would argue that they’ve been left behind in the past – and to a large extent they’re right. However, that has more to do with inadequate leadership than anything else. It’s not my fault that the HRC is just starting to truly argue for trans people – late in the game – and in a way that undermined the entire cause. Hell, I think we should totally revamp that dreadful organization with something far more politically savvy.