April

Maine Becomes 6th State to Protect Trans People; Bills in Hawai`i and Other States Still Making Progress

On March 31, Maine Governor Baldacci signed a bill making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The bill had passed the State Senate by a vote of 25-10 and the State House by a vote 91-58.

2005 is shaping up to be a record year for state legislation. Maine is the second state this year to have amended their anti-discrimination protections to be inclusive of trans people, bringing the total number of states with these legislative protections to six. Illinois added gender identity and expression in January along with sexual orientation. The other states with these protections are California, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Rhode Island.

Bills in other states are currently making good progress. On March 8 Hawaii passed House Bill 1450 which, if passed would add gender identity and expression to anti-discrimination protections in employment (the law already covers sexual orientation). A second bill also passed, which would add both sexual orientation and gender identity to the housing discrimination law. The Hawaii Senate passed these bills this week, with amendments, and now the House and Senate must agree to the same version before the bills are sent to the governor for signature.

Also making good progress is Maryland’s transgender-inclusive Hate Crimes Penalties Act, which passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 93-41 on March 24. Washington State’s House Bill 1515, which provides sexual orientation and gender identity or expression discrimination protections has also passed the House and is awaiting consideration in the Senate. Other bills are in process in additional states.

NCTE congratulates transgender activists and allies for their hard work on these pieces of legislation and their unfailing commitment to assuring trans-inclusion.

NCTE Welcomes Our Five New Board Members

NCTE is proud to announce that five new members have joined the board! Each new member has exciting and unique experiences to bring to NCTE.

Betty Crow is an actor/animator and an advocate for the rights of those who partner with trans people. She has appeared on PBS’s “In the Life” and attended transgender conferences all over the country since the publication of the book, My Husband Betty: Love, Sex and Life with a Crossdresser, authored by her wife Helen Boyd.

Masen Davis, MSW is the President of FTM Alliance of Los Angeles. He also designs and manages countywide youth initiatives for United Way of Greater Los Angeles and serves as an Advisory Board Member for The Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities at California State University, Los Angeles.

Logan Grimes is the Director of Education and Trainings of the Lesbian Community Cancer Project in Chicago. He has 22 years of experience in social services and has been active as a community organizer working in many impoverished communities and advocating on behalf of marginalized populations.

Andy Marra is the Asian-Pacific Islander Media Fellow for GLAAD, as well as a full-time college student. She is also chair of the New York City chapter of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and a member of the GLSEN’s National Advisory Council. She also serves on the board of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA). Andy has authored two national organizing resources and has been a part of the Dignity for All Students Coalition.

Riley Snorton is the Media Relations and Training Specialist at GLSEN’s national headquarters in New York, and is also working towards earning his Masters degree in Media Studies. Riley is a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Journalist Association and the National Black Journalist Association. He previously worked as the People of Color Media Manager for Communities of African Descent and Regional Media Manager for the Southeast at GLAAD.

Board members develop the tools that sustain NCTE through policy and program, development, fundraising, membership growth, and relationship cultivation. Their commitment to bring their talents and enthusiasm to NCTE will help the advancement of transgender civil rights across the country.

NCTE Congratulates IFGE’s Trinity Award Recipients

NCTE is proud to have two recipients of the International Foundation for Gender Education’s (IFGE) Trinity Awards on its staff and board. NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling and NCTE Board member Ken Dollarhide have been chosen by IFGE to receive this award. NCTE would also like to congratulate National Transgender Advocacy Coalition Board Chair, Vanessa Foster for also receiving a Trinity Award.

IFGE identifies their Trinity Awards as honoring the transgender community’s heroes and heroines, people who have performed extraordinary acts of courage and love. The awards will be given at the 19th Annual IFGE Conference on Sex and Gender, which is in Austin, Texas from April 26-30.

IFGE advocates for freedom of gender expression and promotes the understanding and acceptance of all people regardless of gender identity and expression.

NCTE greatly appreciates IFGE’s recognition and thanks those who support our board and staff in their continued work for transgender equality.

NCTE’s Fist Annual Lobby Day a Success

The National Center for Transgender Equality had its first annual Washington National Lobby Day on March 14, 2005. Transgender people and allies from around the country came to Washington, DC and met with members of Congress to educate them on transgender issues.

The day was a success, with transgender people and allies taking part in over 30 meetings with Congressional offices. NCTE provided the lobbyists with a day-long preperation session on Sunday, March 13 where experienced professionals trained participants to effectively educate Congress on transgender issues.

Mara Keisling, NCTE Executive Director, “This was a very successful event. It not only opened up communication with members of Congress who will be making decisions about important legislation in the next year, but it also strengthened the transgender movement by bringing advocates from around the country together.”

Lobby Day gave transgender people and allies the opportunity to make face-to-face connections with members of Congress and begin forming relationships that will strengthen future work on future legislative issues. Lobbyists showed members of Congress and their staff that transgender people are part of their constituencies and that their positions on legislation affect real lives.

“The participants of Washington Lobby Day did an amazing job in these meetings. Their enthusiasm regarding meeting with Congressional offices and their willingness to share their personal lives with members of Congress definitely made this day a great success” said Caeden Dempsey, NCTE Field Director. Many of the members of Congress requested additional information about specific issues and expressed interest in maintaining communication with their constituents.

The Congressional education continued with NCTE’s first Congressional Education Week (CEW) of 2005 during the week of March 21-24. CEW provides transgender people and allies an opportunity to conduct in-district congressional visits with their members of Congress while they are back in their home districts for recess.

While visiting members of Congress in Washington is a very important educational opportunity, it can be equally as powerful for elected officials to receive visits back home in their districts from people like you who live there. During these “district work weeks” like March 21-25, people have the best chance to actually meet with the legislators themselves, although meeting with staff is also very useful.

Activists interested in participating in future Congressional education efforts should contact NCTE at 202.639.6332 or by email.

March

Maine Extends Anti-Discrimination Protections to LGBT People

March 31, 2005 - Gov. John Baldacci signed LD 1196 into law amending the Maine Human Rights Act making it illegal to discriminate in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

On March 30 the Maine House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 91-58. The bill passed the Senate on March 28, 2005 by a vote of 25-10.

The bill defines sexual orientation as “actual or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality, or gender identity and expression.”

Maine is now the second state in 2005, and the sixth state overall, to explicitly include protections for transgender people in anti-discrimination legislation. In January, Illinois amended its Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit. Transgender people were protected under the definition of sexual orientation. Other states with these protections include California, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Rhode Island.

“Trans advocates and allies have been making great strides for the last few years,” said Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Maine and Illinois demonstrate the dedication trans people and our allies have to working for transgender rights and protections. We confidently look forward to more victories in 2005.”

NCTE congratulates the advocates in Maine for their hard work on this legislation and their unfailing commitment to maintaining trans-inclusion in the bill. We also commend Gov. Baldacci and Senator Karl Turner for their leadership on LD 1196.

To read the bill, go to http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/externalsiteframe.asp?ID=280016226&LD=1196&Type=1&SessionID=6.

For more news on the bill, go to www.equalitymaine.org.

Hispanic AIDS Forum Court Case Loss

March 29 - A panel of the New York State First Appellate Division rejected the Hispanic AIDS Forum’s claim of gender discrimination under New York state and New York City law. In 2001, the Hispanic AIDS Forum (HAF) sued their landlord with the assistance of the ACLU, for threatening to not renew their lease because the organization allowed its transgender clients to use restrooms in the common areas of the building. The landlord may have also disallowed transgender people from the common areas altogether as well. The court rejected the claim of discrimination, saying that bathroom exclusion based on biological sexual assignment was not discriminatory because it applies to all people based on their biological sex.

The court said it agreed with the holding in Goins v. West Group, a 2001 Minnesota case in which a transgender woman sued under the state’s trans-inclusive discrimination law for being denied access to women’s restrooms at her place of employment. In Goins, the Minnesota Supreme Court said employers can base their restroom access policies on “biological gender” without violating the discrimination law.

The New York appellate court said it was unnecessary to decide whether the 2002 amendment to the New York City law, which made transgender-inclusion explicit in that law, was in effect in 2000 when the discriminatory incident occurred, because in either case, this should not be considered discrimination. Hispanic AIDS Forum is currently considering whether to appeal. NCTE commends the Hispanic AIDS Forum’s efforts in assuring the rights of their transgender clients.

Maryland House of Delegates Passes Hate Crimes Penalty Act

March 24, 205 - The Maryland House of Delegates passed House Bill 692, the Hate Crimes Penalty Act, by a vote of 93-41. This trans-inclusive bill, sponsored by Delegate Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County), now goes to the State Senate for a vote.

“Enacting the Hate Crimes Penalties Act into law is a very important step in improving the daily lives of those who are at risk for hate violence,” said Equality Maryland Board Member Dr. Dana Beyer, who chairs the organization’s transgender advocacy committee. “This will have a profound ripple effect, educating Maryland's population about who we are, and specifically helping to make the legal and law enforcement communities cognizant of the special risks we face every day.” Dr. Beyer is a founding member of NCTE

If passed by the Senate and signed into law, Maryland will become the 9th state (plus DC) to protect the transgender community with a hate crimes law. The other states are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont.

NCTE congratulates the Maryland advocates, especially Equality Maryland and their transgender advocacy committee, for their hard work on this legislation and their unfailing commitment to maintaining trans-inclusion in the bill.

In March 2004, NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling testified in favor of the Hate Crimes Penalty Act before the Maryland State Senate. Her testimony is available here.

January

Civil Rights. Community. Movement.

For Immediate Release: Thursday, Jan. 13, 2005

By American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian & Gay Rights Project; Equality Federation; Freedom to Marry; Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders; Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation; Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute; Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; Human Rights Campaign; Lambda Legal; Log Cabin Republicans; Mautner Project; National Association of LGBT Community Centers; National Black Justice Coalition; National Center for Lesbian Rights; National Center for Transgender Equality; National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; National Youth Advocacy Coalition; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; Servicemembers Legal Defense Network; Sigamos Adelante: National Latino/Hispanic LGBT Leadership; and Stonewall Democrats

civil rights [n.] The rights belonging to an individual by virtue of citizenship, esp. the right to due process, equal protection of the law and freedom from discrimination.

community [n.] A group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society.

movement [n.] An organized effort to promote or attain an end; the act of moving.

The histories of America’s civil rights movements — and their successes in securing equal protection of the law for those denied it — have always been shaped by the complex interweaving of legal victories, political progress and advances in public opinion.

So when we look at the state of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights today, we have every reason to be optimistic. Our movement is strong, it is determined, and it is gathering momentum every day.

It has been only 18 months since the Supreme Court struck down the last remaining state laws that branded us as criminals, little more than a year since Massachusetts’ top court ruled that same-sex couples could not be denied full equality in marriage and mere weeks since California enacted the nation’s most expansive domestic partnership law.

All the while, public support for LGBT equality continues to grow. Gallup has reported that 89 percent of Americans support equal employment opportunity for gays and lesbians. Polls also show nearly two-thirds support the same opportunities for transgender Americans. Nearly four in five — up from 57 percent just a decade ago — support openly gay military service members; and amid the enactment of anti-gay constitutional amendments in 11 states this past November, exit polls showed that 60 percent of voters favor legal recognition for same-sex couples.

The speed with which our movement is advancing on all fronts is absolutely historic — and it hasn't happened by chance or by accident.

Read More Here

Illinois State Senate Passes Anti-Discrimination Bill
2005 Shaping up To Be a Record Year for State Legislation

January 10, 2005 - The Illinois State Senate passed Senate Bill SB3186 by a vote of 30-27-1. The bill, introduced by Senator Carol Ronen, goes to the State House of Representative today for a final vote. The bill has previously passed the House on multiple occasions and we are very optimistic about passage.

Governor Blagojevich has been a vocal supporter of the bill, so his signature is also anticipated should it pass the House.

The legislation would amend the Illinois Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit. Transgender people are protected under the definition of sexual orientation which states:

“Sexual orientation" means actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender-related identity, whether or not traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at birth.

For more information on the bill and its passage in the Senate, see the Illinois Gender Advocates (IGA) website at http://www.genderadvocates.org/TakeAction/TakeAction.html or Equality Illinois website at www.equalityillinois.org.

NCTE Congratulates all of the advocates in Illinois especially at Equality Illinois and Illinois Gender Advocates (formerly It’s Time Illinois) for their years of hard work on this legislation.

HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES Passes Illinois Anti-Discrimination Bill
Only Remaining Step is Governor’s Signature

January 11, 2005 - The bill that passed the Illinois Senate yesterday, easily passed through the House of Representatives and is on to the Governor’s desk. Sixty-five members of the House voted for the bill.

Upon the Governor’s signature, Illinois will become the fifth state with anti-discrimination protections for transgender people and the fifteenth protecting people based on sexual orientation.

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard on this bill which has been on the works in various forms for thrity years.

For more information on the bill and its passage in the Senate, see the Illinois Gender Advocates (IGA) website at http://www.genderadvocates.org/TakeAction/TakeAction.html or Equality Illinois website at www.equalityillinois.org.

NCTE Congratulates all of the advocates in Illinois especially at Equality Illinois and Illinois Gender Advocates (formerly It’s Time Illinois) for their years of hard work on this legislation