[gennee]

I read this article in the op-ed section of New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/opinion. Gennee

[Linda]

The link in Gennee's posting didn't work for me. I was able to read the op-ed piece at the URL below.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=830050&f=28&sub=Columnist
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Linda

[JayJay]

The column you linked too was not the one that Genee was talking about. Here is the column that Genee tried to link to: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/opinion/we-want-cake-too.html?scp=2&sq=Jennifer%20Boylan&st=cse

I usually like Jennifer Boylan's columns, but this one was very disappointing to me. She begrudges the marriage equality victory in New York because enough hasn't been done for transgender rights. That seems silly to me because in the first place marriage equality permits everyone to marry--not just gay people or transgenders who have completely transitioned. That is, marriage equality benefits all of us. Of course, more work needs to be done to protect the rights of transgenders. But that is no cause for Boylan to begrudge a hardwon victory for all New Yorkers.
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Jay

[gennee]

What i think she's saying is that once again transgender people were thrown under the bus. I may be incorrect in my assessment. I don't begrudge marriage equality passing. The GENDA bill was also on the same docket but it died in the senate. One question I have in my mind is was marriage equality passed because it had big money donors from the LGBT organizations contribute to Cuomo's coffers?

Transgender people for many reasons don't have the deep pcokets of many gay and lesbian organizations. I also believe much of this has to do with identity and visibility. One does not have to reveal their sexual orientation. Identity is somethng that's out in public. A big difference? Yes. It works in regards to race, so it's nothing new.

In my mind, GENDA should be the next item on the agenda for LGBT organizations here in New York.

Gennee

[JayJay]

"GENDA should be the next item on the agenda"

I agree with that. Better yet, a federal, inclusive ENDA would help people in all the states that have refused to protect their glbtq citizens from discrimination.

It is simply not true that transgenders were thrown under the bus in New York. Would it have been better not to have marriage equality (which, as I pointed out, benefits transgenders just as much as it does gay men and lesbians) just because the Republicans refuse to support GENDA? While heterosexual transgenders could marry before the marriage equality bill was passed, transgenders in same-sex relationships or transgenders who had not completed transition but wanted to marry someone of the opposite sex were not allowed to marry. Under the marriage equality bill, any two people of whatever sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation can marry. It is very disappointing to read someone like Jennifer Boylan to be so dismissive of this achievement.

One could make the case that insisting on an inclusive ENDA is what has stalled that bill for years. From that perspective, it is the transgenders who are stalling progress for gay men and lesbians. I disagree with that assessment because I think sexual minorities need to stick together, and all people need protection from discrimination.

It is also true that the rights of transgenders have been bolstered recently by some key rulings in federal court that protect transgenders against discrimination by seeing discrimination against transgenders as being covered under sex and gender discrimination. Those are welcome decisions
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Jay

[gennee]

i 'm happy that marriage equality did pass. From what I've been able to assess, there is absolutely no logic reason why Republicans don't support GENDA. They can't feed me the line about protecting against pedophiles in the bathrooms. That is a bogus argument and most people know it..

I agree that some things have improved but GENDA has been on the books for about decade. Transgender people are the ones who are most often harasseda nd murdered. Women of color are the most victims. A transgender woman was murdred just a few miles from my home.

Gennee