Atlanta, GA – Trans=Action, the local transgender educational and advocacy organization, received news from Washington, DC that the board of the Human Rights Campaign voted to only support federal legislation that is fully-inclusive from this point on. HRC informed the offices of Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on their vote, because they are the primary sponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA.) Kennedy is also one of the primary sponsors of the Hate Crimes Bill. Neither pieces of legislation includes specific language that covers transgender people.
“This is a historic day for all LGBT people,” remarked Monica Helms, Executive Director of Trans=Action. “Not since that first bottle left the hands of a transgender person, flying toward a police officer outside of the Stonewall Inn, have we all been this united. I am thrilled.”
Rev. Paul Turner, President for the Board of Directors of Trans=Action stated, “It is wonderful to see HRC finally face the truth that was before them and did the right thing. It is more than appropriate for them to have recognized that there wasn’t a ‘T’ included, therefore no equally for everyone. I praise God that our prayers have been finally answered.”
According to Phyllis Frye, a transgender lawyer out of Houston, TX, the current non-inclusive ENDA was first introduced on July 29, 1994. Ten years and nine days later, HRC finally stood up to say they will no longer support that bill. Phyllis Fry was there the day ENDA was first introduced. Today, she is rejoicing.
Transgender people across the country have been working tirelessly for the last ten years to have transgender people included in federal legislation. Trans=Action has been on the forefront of this fight for the last four years, with informational flyers handed out at Pride in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
The organization also held a successful Educational Initiative after the HRC dinner in May of 2002, where the HRC Executive Director at the time, Elizabeth Birch, spent three hours speaking with transgender activists after the dinner. Two weeks later, Trans=Action appeared and spoke out against the exclusive ENDA at an HRC town hall meeting designed to garner support for the bill.
Trans=Action’s annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is held each November in front of the State Capital, highlights the need for a federal hate crimes bill that covers transgender people. This has been held annually since 2000. In the year 2003, seventeen transgender people were viscously killed in the United States, including one in Atlanta.
Now is the time for all LGBT people to work together toward equal rights for all Americans. History will mark this as a watershed day; one future generations will look back with pride. We are truly united at last.
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