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Loading ...Trans rights bills advance on two coasts
04.09.2009 1:01pm EDT
(Concord, New Hampshire) Bills that would protect the rights of transgendered people have advanced in New Hampshire and Washington.
In New Hampshire, the House approved by one vote a bill that would amend the state’s anti-discrimination law to include trans people. Wednesday night’s vote came a month after the House turned down the same bill.The first vote came after a long day in the House and some members had already left. The chamber agreed to the second vote following an impassioned appeal by House Speaker Terie Norelli (D).
Republicans assailed the legislation, calling it the “bathroom bill,” arguing it will allow “men to use women’s washrooms” and “put children at risk.”
“This seeks to elevate a nebulous group to the sacred level we find in racial discrimination,” said Rep. William O’Brien (R). “This bill is not needed. It’s dangerous.”
Norelli and other Democrats blasted the attacks.
“We’re not asking you to open bathrooms to sexual predators. We’re asking you to stand tall against discrimination,” Norelli argued.
GOP representative attempted to insert 13 separate amendments – one would have excluded nursing homes. Another would have allowed business owners to regulate the length of an employee’s hair. All failed.
The bill was passed after more than three hours of debate, 188-187. It now moves to the Senate.
In the state of Washington, the House has approved a Senate bill adding “gender expression or identity” to the state’s hate-crime law.
The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for signing.
Washington’s hate-crimes law already makes it illegal to threaten, damage the property of, or physically injure someone because of ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.
During debate, Rep. Chris Hurst (D) said that broadening the law to include the transgendered was a matter of fairness.
“If we do not defend the rights of those individuals, we defend the rights of no one,” Hurst told the House.
The Senate already had approved the bill.
Okay, I see your point Dean. However, I am sick of there being this big stigma on saying anything slightly critical or not 100 percent agreeing with the transgendered community.
Besides, the majority of transpeople try to get out of the queer community. I recognize there are trans who transition INTO the queer community but they are a very small minority. Secondly, I have not met a transperson without inner confusion. It’s sad that binary gender roles and sexism feed into homophobia, homosexual self hate, and gender identity issues. But by giving into these ideals, transpeople- straight or gay- are just setting back feminism and queer rights. They’re just buying into heteronormative, sexist bullsh*t. What is a man anyway? And what is a woman? Can they really be defined and does it actually have anything to do with genitalia? Or is it more of an idea?
And how do I know they are confused? One, they have a cosmetic surgery designed to make themselves feel better about their gender identity. Two, because I work in a queer outreach center and have to travel for my job so if I find a transperson who does not fit that bill, I’ll be the first person to change my tune.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not have anything against the transgendered community, hence my belief in and support of trans awareness day, better protection under the law, and equal privileges. I just don’t agree with their choices nor do they have to listen to anything I have to say. If you don’t like it, don’t listen to/read it.
DeAnimator, some parts of your comment are rather ignorant. My thoughts are as follows:
1) Some transgender people transition into the queer community, not out of it. A gay FTM, for example, might live the first part of their life as a straight women, and when they transition to male, become a gay man. Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation, and there are gay, bi, and straight trans people just as there are non-trans people of different orientations.
2) How exactly would you know how surgery affects transgender peoples’ “inner confusion”? Who says that trans people are even confused? While ultimately each person is unique, it does seem that many trans people have known who they *really* are all along, and many are in fact much happier after hormones therapy, surgery, etc.
Please don’t lump ALL Repulicans together. I myself identify as a Republican, a lesbian, and an atheist. Go figure. Just to let yall know I would love nothing more than to see the GLBT community bestowed ALL their civil rights in accordance with the rights of heteros. These religious zealots are big-mouthed, hateful, homophobes and I don’t believe that they truly represent the Republican party. But as the saying goes….the squeeky wheel gets the grease and these bastards are damn greasy!
I understand parents concern with the bathrooms. It is silly but they’re just worried about their kids- hopefully. I’m sure a lot of them are bigots. Even though I think transgendered people are wasting money on a surgery that removes them from the queer community AND does nothing to help their inner confusion- I still think they ought to have a bathroom to use. Just have unisex bathrooms. Intersex people have issues using male/female restrooms too. So why not just have three bathrooms? Is that really such a big deal?
Our organization would be interested in making sure this bill passes. If anyone can find the Senate and House Bill Number in NH, that’d be excellent. Please email it to us at: office@gluad.org
Thanks,
GLUAD TEAM MEMBER
As always, the Republicans seem to be making up reasons to oppose nondiscrimination. Why would a transgender person “put children at risk” any more than a cisgender person? How are transgender people any more “nebulous” than cisgender people?
While I’m confident that the Republicans arguments are nonsense, I do think there’s a need for more research around transgender and transexual issues – research that would directly confront the misperceptions advanced by equality opponents.
Seriously!?! Are all Republicans like this?? Why do I see this so often as the opposition’s excuse for continuing to allow discrimination. Where and whenever I read of these peoples’ supposed reasoning for being opposed to adding transgendered people to anti-discrimination bills they always claim that it will “put the children at risk”. What really “puts the children at risk” is the possibility that some of this ignorance will be passed on from older generations, just as other prejudices and ignorant attitudes are. Children aren’t born with the knowledge to hate others, they learn it from adults, Mr O’Brien!
This measure did pass but by only one vote.