Michael Urie, Rebecca Romijn, Nancy Pelosi and other bold-faced names were greeted by protest at HRC’s national dinner this weekend.
Dozens of queer activists showed up to picket the gay non-profit’s spineless endorsement of the trans-excluding ENDA.
Check out more pictures over at Joe Tresh’s website!
Qjersey
Isn’t it ironic that when it comes to Trans protesters, they are usually middle aged and white… guess losing that while male privelege really sucks.
Heather_L_James
So losing privilege means you give up your right to dissent? What an abjectly ignorant statement. So the people that marched on D.C. in the sixties with Dr. King were wrongly asserting their “black privilege”? Did you follow the link and look at the rest of the pictures? There were more than just trans people picketing.
Qjersey
obviously you are ignorant about the concept of “white privelege”
Most white americans are clueless about the barriers that other types of people face and truly don’t “get it” until they encounter discrimination of some sort and then most whites will react with “how dare you!”
People of color and other stigmatized groups EXPECT to encounter bullshit, because “that is the way it is in the good ol U S of A.
Yeah lots of different types of people, but not a lot of young trans people of color… who are too busy just trying to get by… and many of whom can’t get a job to begin with and are trying to survive day to day.
So it’s no surprise that there aren’t many of them there, and no one probably bothered to reach out to them anyway.
Allen
Here is the last part of Nancy Pelosi’s speech.
“As members and supporters of HRC, you understand that it is truly historic that the House of Representatives will soon pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The tremendous progress we have would not have been possible without the great leadership of Chairman Barney Frank of Massachusetts. With his brilliance, his wit and legislative skill, he persevered in bringing ENDA before the Congress. America is a great and wealthy country, but we cannot afford to squander the talents of any of our citizens, nor should we. We all benefit if everyone gets a chance to work hard, and support their families. Yet today, in more than 30 states you can be fired for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. That is wrong. Federal action is needed, and it is long overdue. I strongly believe that transgender individuals deserve the same rights and the same protections as any other Americans and will work to see that ENDA also protects their rights. In a few weeks, the House will be voting on ENDA. And those who oppose us will be lobbying on the Hill and working to defeat any version of ENDA. We cannot allow the forces of discrimination succeed. Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin and others will do the inside maneuvering. But we cannot succeed without outside mobilization. Working together, we will mobilize, and educate. Each and every one of us must take personal responsibility for passing the strongest possible ENDA – one vote at a time. History teaches us that progress on civil rights is never easy. But justice is inevitable. It’s about time. Many saw the 1957 Civil Rights Act as not having done enough, but it helped lay the groundwork for the great Civil Rights Act that followed. On the occasion of receiving the HRC Equality Award, I give you my commitment as Speaker of the House that I will fight for the most inclusive ENDA possible so that our nation’s laws are in harmony with our nation’s ideals. “
Heather_L_James
First learn how to spell privilege before calling someone ignorant on the subject. Privilege has nothing to do with how someone responds to discrimination, but rather the discrimination that person never encounters in the first place because of some chance characteristic.
Second of all, you don’t know anything about anyone at that rally. I do know three people who went to protest, all of whom are very active in metro youth outreach programs in large cities. People are allowed to split their time between causes or different parts of the same cause, in this case. Who made you the arbiter of their actions?
Third, you need to start pointing that finger at the larger hispanic and black communities. I have been on the front lines in urban areas reaching out to queer youth, and have seen first hand the way the black and hispanic communities treat their GLBT kids. Bottom line is these kids not only have to suffer the prejudices of being queer and being brown, but they suffer the additional stigma of being queer and brown and are marginilazed by their own communities.
Sure more needs to be done to help queer kids in the inner city, but that doesn’t mean people don’t have a right to protest against what they feel were lies and broken promises. If you are so concerned about how the protesters are expending their energy why are you wasting time posting on a blog, and not out beating the streets yourself?
Leland Frances
“Dozens” of protestors? Ya wouldn’t know it from the pictures.
“spineless endorsement”? Admirable of you to feel so strongly about something and accessorize it with such hyperbole. But talk is cheap. What are you doing other than that? Any gays who want to show REAL solidarity with the Ts must do the obvious thing and quit their jobs. If Ts can’t have job protections, then gays can’t have job protections. If Ts can’t have jobs then gays shouldn’t have jobs. Otherwise all your pontificating when YOU already have a job is meaningless grandstanding.
Of course, if one recognizes that transgenders have no more right to tell gays they can’t have job protections than gays have to tell them the same, then we might be able to get back to the reality of the situation and move forward one victory at a time. If not, then we expect your resignations on your bosses’ desks in one hour.
Heather_L_James
Hyperbole vs. flawed logic poorly disguised as sarcasm. Hey, we finally have equality, they’re both worthless. Douchebag.
Leland Frances
“Douchebag”? How sexist!
lyssa
Heather: Keep fighting the good fight!
Qjersey: Ad hominem, Ad Hominem!
Leland Frances: Heather is right. You provoked her unnecessarily.
I think some apologies are in order here.
Madcity Renee
Thank you to all the LGB, intersex and straight allies who have showed their support through this whole sorted mess. We must stand together!
As far as the protesters being all white and middle class, being middle class is not a crime the last time I checked. Being middle class is difficult for transpeople and being white doesn’t guarantee that most of us who transition barely make it out of the process with our very lives, black, white or otherwise.
My transition as a white transwoman IS different than a black transwoman’s transition. I realize that, but I don’t think using it as a rock to hit people with is appropriate or necessary. I am sure there were a few black, asian and latina/o transpeople at the protest as well as us whities. And hey, somebody has to show up! Would you rather they stayed home and not protested? Somebody has to speak truth to power!
Read the recent article from Monica Roberts entitled “My transition is different from your transition” for more insight into how race and class effect gender transition and our perseptions of such. She really made me think of the black sisters I have encountered running support groups and volunteering in the state health initiative. I have met some very nice black transwomen in my days in the “volunteer vortex”. How are they thanked for it? Their own communities try and erase them. Sad but true.
Renee
Madison, WI
Qjersey
“arguing on the Internet is like competing in the Special Olympics, even if you win, you’re still retarded”
Bad joke, but it makes the point.
Ad hominem my ass. I attacked no one, but I will now, LOL
Ms. Heather has a bad attitude and potty mouth.
Probably stomps her feet when she doesnt’ get her way too.
hisurfer
“Third, you need to start pointing that finger at the larger hispanic and black communities. ” Oh, let’s not. That’s really a bad idea.
Meanwhile, and totally off-topic, add Rebecca Romijn to the very short list of chicks-I’d-switch for.