Society is made up of groups, and as long as the smaller groups do not have the same rights and the same protection as others -- I don't care whether you call it capitalism or communism -- it is not going to work. Somehow, the guys in power have to be reached by counterpower, or through a change in their hearts and minds, or change will not come.~Cesar Chavez
How many of us who cared about what happened with HB 235 were aware of this attitude of the Maryland State Senate President?
"I personally believe [HB 235] is anti-family, uh, so I'm going to vote against it.
"...The problem is this: I have senators that are not going to hire, uh, people with male sexual organs who wear a dress to serve as receptionists, okay? Umm, and so if they're not going to do it, so if the senators and house members themselves wouldn't hire someone in that category, how can we say to constituents that you've got to do this?"
Maryland Senate President Mike Miller (D-District 27/Calvert & Prince George's Counties) on the Friday, April 8, 2011 installment of Maryland Public Television's State Circle (beginning at the 7:55 mark in installment)
The Maryland State Senate President believes granting employment protections trans women is "anti-family", and believes his legislative peers don't want trans women working in their offices -- that's on the record.
Compare Senator Miller's "anti-family" language to the language of the opponents of HB 235 at the recent House of Delegates hearing:
[More below the fold.]
- "And in [HB 235], employers will be required to hire transgendered adult males dressed as dressed as females as daycare, and elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Children will be encouraged to crossdress, transgendered individuals will be touted as role models for children to emulate -- this will cause major confusion for children.
- "Children will then have to defend their birth femininity, or masculinity, and they will be discriminated against if they attempt to be the boy or girl they were born to be. The curriculum will tell them if they do anything which is outside of what the majority of their gender does, that they themselves are transgender -- Which is not true.
"It's ironic that this gender identity law wants to take away from our children all the be all you can be gains of the women's liberation movement."
- "Children are already confused and suffering by being told that gender is insignificant. While it's important to say that gender roles should not limit a child's potential, it is harmful to children to say gender differences don't exist.
"We all agree that this gender identity nondiscrimination law will mandate tolerance training in the schools. Montgomery county school's tolerance training already equates crossdressing to transsexualism. This curriculum tells the children that just as crossdressers change their clothes, transsexuals change their body to match the way they feel. This is indoctrinating children, starting in kindergarten, and even daycare, that gender does not matter."
This is the reality that transgender people and their intra-community allies in Maryland are going to have to confront in future years regarding any antidiscrimination legislation that addresses housing, employment, and public accommodation protections based on gender identity: The Senate President is on the record as stating that he doesn't believe transgender should have ordinary equality under the law because he believes ordinary equality for transgender people is anti-family, and he and many of his legislative peers don't want transgender people working in their offices.
Looking forward towards future gender identity civil rights legislation, a question for LGBT community members and their allies in Maryland is going to be how address this real dynamic. Should we consider approaching every single Democratic and Republican lawmaker in Maryland (as well as in other states) requesting that they sign non-discrimination statements for their hired staff that specifically includes protections for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression? I believe we should; I believe we need to know how equality minded each legislator is or isn't.
And too, as we move forward in thinking about the strategy and tactics regarding ordinary equality for transgender people in Maryland, we're actually going to have to really work and really sacrifice for the civil rights transgender people want and need. Showing up at the offices of delegates and senators, and then engaging in citizen lobbying for equality legislation, is going to be a minimum we need to do -- and that's not just in Maryland, that's wherever antidiscrimination legislation based on gender identity and expression is up for a legislative vote. And frankly, it's probably going to take a hell of a lot more than the minimum of all of us who care about civil rights if we really want civil rights for transgender people.
Hell, that's equally true if we want basic civil rights based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression -- as well as marriage equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community members -- in the many states and localities where we don't have basic civil rights and marriage equality.
If we in LGBT community want ordinary equality for LGBT community, more of us are going to have to work and sacrifice a hell of a lot more than we as community have -- sometimes at years at a clip -- for ordinary equality. LGBT civil rights isn't an going to be an instant gratification effort, but a long slog that requires hard work and sacrifice.
How many of us are ready to say, as Cesar Chavez said:
Because we have suffered, and we are not afraid to suffer in order to survive, we are ready to give up everything -- even our lives -- in our struggle for justice.
Until we're ready for that kind of commitment, the Sen. Miller's of the world will be able to readily deny LGB-and-especially-T people ordinary equality because they consider us "anti-family," as well a minority population that they find it perfectly acceptable to personally discriminate against in the workplace.
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