Sheesh, Talk About Raining on a Parade ...
Last Saturday was the Poolesville Days Celebration parade. Sounds like good, hometown fun, there were activities for kids, live music, pony rides, just a good time in Poolesville, fun for the whole family.
The Citizens for Responsible Whatever were there, I am told, handing out their flyers. You can see the flyer HERE . From the file name it appears that this document was created in September of 2008. The flyer has a picture focused on Dana Beyer, with an arrow pointing at a smiling Duchy Trachtenberg next to her, with a gigantic headline: "Duch’ Is Out of Touch."
Then it continues:
First of all, let's clear this up. Allyson Robinson is not a "male transsexual," Allyson Robinson is a female woman, transitioned from a male sex assigned at birth if that's the part you want to focus on. She is Associate Director of Diversity at the Human Rights Campaign.
The Great Google knows how to find that photograph and the article from the Washington Post last year: it's HERE. The article starts like this:
I don't know why the CRW wants to act like there is some problem with a woman going into the ladies room, this seems to be a sticking point for them.
At the bottom of the flyer they were handing out is big bold text that says:
Here's the thing. You wonder who would spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the parade for a happy little hometown, handing out flyers to defeat a bill that was passed and approved by the courts a year ago? What would motivate a person to be so concerned about transgender people -- of all the things in the world! -- that they would go out and hand these flyers to happy families standing along the road watching the high school band march by, the local County Council member, some kids on fancy bicycles, people on stilts?
The bill is law. There is a little less discrimination in our county. No ladies have been accosted by men in the ladies room claiming to be "women on the inside." It's water under the bridge. Why are they still doing this?
The Citizens for Responsible Whatever were there, I am told, handing out their flyers. You can see the flyer HERE . From the file name it appears that this document was created in September of 2008. The flyer has a picture focused on Dana Beyer, with an arrow pointing at a smiling Duchy Trachtenberg next to her, with a gigantic headline: "Duch’ Is Out of Touch."
Then it continues:
The County Council passed a “Gender Identity” Bill promoted by Equality Maryland. The County Council says the Bill has “never been about the bathrooms”. But who’s right? Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg : “opponents of transgender rights sought to make this debate about ridiculous non-issues such as bathrooms and public showers.” (press release, September 9, 2008) Washington Post, September 15, 2008, page B1, article with above photo: “To Allyson Robinson” (a male ‘transsexual’) “it means accompanying her young children to public restrooms in Montgomery County”
First of all, let's clear this up. Allyson Robinson is not a "male transsexual," Allyson Robinson is a female woman, transitioned from a male sex assigned at birth if that's the part you want to focus on. She is Associate Director of Diversity at the Human Rights Campaign.
The Great Google knows how to find that photograph and the article from the Washington Post last year: it's HERE. The article starts like this:
To Allyson Robinson, it means accompanying her young children to public restrooms in Montgomery County without worrying that someone will call the police.
For Colleen Fay, it brings the hope that the next time she applies for a driver's license she won't be badgered about her previous life as a man.
And for Chloe Schwenke, it means other people like her will be able to enjoy the job security she has found in her international development work in the District.
With the decision by Maryland's highest court last week to block a referendum petition, Montgomery County's law banning discrimination against transgender people takes effect immediately. Ruling Inspires New Hope For Transgender People
I don't know why the CRW wants to act like there is some problem with a woman going into the ladies room, this seems to be a sticking point for them.
At the bottom of the flyer they were handing out is big bold text that says:
Protect Your Family
Defeat the Defective Gender Identity Bill
Here's the thing. You wonder who would spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the parade for a happy little hometown, handing out flyers to defeat a bill that was passed and approved by the courts a year ago? What would motivate a person to be so concerned about transgender people -- of all the things in the world! -- that they would go out and hand these flyers to happy families standing along the road watching the high school band march by, the local County Council member, some kids on fancy bicycles, people on stilts?
The bill is law. There is a little less discrimination in our county. No ladies have been accosted by men in the ladies room claiming to be "women on the inside." It's water under the bridge. Why are they still doing this?
posted by JimK at 11:45 AM
41 Comments:
the law had absolutely no effect
it was an unnecessary infringement on the right of property owners to control the use of their property
it lies, like so many unnecessary and frivolous laws, lurking in the county law, ready to be misused by some other regime
Saturdays sound like a great time to bring it to everyone's attention
the law had absolutely no effect
Counter to hysterical predictions, there is not a single case of dead or raped girls or women found in a MoCo ladies room since it passed!
nor was their a report of transgender not being able to go to the bathroom before the law!
I suppose if one supports discrimination, all civil rights laws are infringements on the rights of property owners, regardless of the protected class.
civil rights laws are appropriate when there are insurmoutable and unjustifiable barriers to a certain victimized class's functioning as part of society
there was no justification for this law and it's purpose was to have the law endorse the idea that gender is a matter of feelings rather than biology
it's part of the gay agenda
man, it's a bad time to be a Democrat:
"Only nine months ago, the 2010 electoral landscape looked ripe with promise to freshman Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who assumed the helm of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), which helps elect Democratic candidates to the Senate.
But suddenly things started changing. The political scandals surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Senator Roland Burris have handicapped the Democrats' chances of keeping Obama's old Senate seat. Governors in Colorado and New York appointed two relative unknowns to fill Ken Salazar's and Hillary Clinton's shoes, respectively, both of whom left for the Cabinet. And then Ted Kennedy died, prompting a Massachusetts special election due to be held in January.
Even worse, there are at least five incumbents who are facing competitive races: Arkansas's Blanche Lincoln, Pennsylvania's new Democratic Senator Arlen Specter, Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Connecticut's Chris Dodd and Barbara Boxer, who will face off with former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina in California. Reid and Dodd have some of the worst polls in the Senate — hovering near 30% approval ratings."
I guess Arlen Specter feels pretty stupid right about now.
And, remember, according to the gay agenda, you are what you feel!
There you go again.
Robert, you must explain yourself before we get the impression that you're trying to insult someone
In a speech last Friday night to a gathering of Catholic conservatives at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, an American archbishop now heading the Vatican version of the church's Supreme Court said that politicians who support gay marriage or abortion rights cannot receive sacraments without publicly repenting their ways:
"It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself in this manner," said Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, whom the pope transferred to Rome in 2008.
"Neither Holy Communion nor funeral rites should be administered to such politicians."
Burke also appeared on FOX News to denounce the Baucus bill on health care reform as "certainly not acceptable" because he said it provides funding for abortions. He also said the current proposals threaten a "subtle introduction into health care of euthanasia."
"Anonymous"...are you ADHD? You exhibit all of the characteristics of an individual who suffers from that disorder. You simply find it impossible to stay on topic and you seem to relish your diversionary tactics in your attempts to hijack this site.
Shame on you!
Aphrodite
""Anonymous"...are you ADHD? You exhibit all of the characteristics of an individual who suffers from that disorder. You simply find it impossible to stay on topic and you seem to relish your diversionary tactics in your attempts to hijack this site.
Shame on you!"
aphro
there have been much discussion here about how the archbishop of DC has endorsed healthcare reform
this is a new development to that discussion and I chose to post it here to bring it to the attention of those, TTFers btw, who think it's an important topic
citizen
I told you I'd tell you when TTFers start up the insult routine
here it is
they don't like what I have to say so they insult
Just quoting the great communicator himself. Nothing that wonderful man ever said could be construed as an insult. Could it? They even named an aircraft carrier after him. Have you had any warships named after you? I, alas, have not. Yet.
the actual quote is "there you go again, Jimmy"
too bad RR didn't live to see Jimmy's latest foolish remark
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
good deletion, Jim
that one would be hard for TTFers to hear
It was spam, copied and pasted from another site.
JimK
well, we also have "spam, eggs, bacon and spam"
definition of spam, if not used in a Monty Python skit:
"unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses"
but we also have "sausage, ham & spam"
Wikipedia: "Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately."
JimK
Anonymous said... "nor was their [sic] a report of transgender not being able to go to the bathroom before the law!"
Thus demonstrating that this law wasn't about restroom use, it was about jobs, housing, and access to credit (mortgages, auto loans, etc.).
Anonymous said... "civil rights laws are appropriate when there are insurmoutable and unjustifiable barriers to a certain victimized class's functioning as part of society
Your ignorance of the discrimination does not make it any less real. Even non-trans people have been fired or harassed for not being as masculine or as feminine as someone else thinks they should be. This law protects everyone.
thanks, but I don't want the protection
if part of a job's requirement is to project masculinity and the employer doesn't feel you fit the description, why do you want to work there?
why not just let people try to find jobs with people who think as they do?
trans had no problem participating in the economy in MC before this law
trans had no problem participating in the economy in MC before this law
That is absolutely false. The Montgomery County Council heard testimony from MoCo residents who suffered employment and housing discrimination on the basis of their gender identity.
Repeating a lie does not make it true, no matter how many times you repeat it.
there may have been some discrimination
always has been, always will be
no legislation can wipe it out without being repressive
legislation is only necessary if the discrimination is so overwhelming as to prevent them from participating in the economy
clearly, that wasn't the case here
trans still had homes and jobs despite the fact that they may be some scattered throughout MC who didn't like them
no problem
Oh sure, why should unemployment or homelessness prevent anyone "from participating in the economy?" We all see unemployed people and homeless folks who are not prevented "from participating in the economy" with their cardboard signs and paper cups at traffic signals all over the area.
I happen to know of one trans person who got a job with the help of 23-07, and another who has kept her job (after news of her impending transition came out) because of 23-07. It seems odd that the company owners would want to fire her for an entirely treatable pre-existing medical condition, (that had no effect on her job) but fortunately that didn't happen.
23-07 seems to be working relatively well so far.
Have a nice day.
Cynthia
"they don't like what I have to say so they insult"
It’s not an insult if you deserve it.
"Oh sure, why should unemployment or homelessness prevent anyone "from participating in the economy?""
You're expressing extremism, anon-B.
Isolated cases of discrimination are not "unemployment or homelessness".
Trans all had jobs and homes before the law passed. That's because if any individual discriminated against them, they had plenty of other options. Under that situation, discrimination laws are not only unnecessary but undesirable.
All this law did was give them an advantage over those without any form of sexual deviancy. Now, those who don't want to hire trans or rent to trans have to worry about finding a way to proof that they weren't motivated by a dislike for trans. Since they won't have to do that to turn down a non-trans, the trans will have a built-in advantage.
"It’s not an insult if you deserve it."
Here's another one, Citizen.
I tried to tell you: you were confusing the ostrich and the egg.
Trans people with an unfair advantage. Ah yes, the much-vaunted oppression of straight people by lgbt people (kind of like the oppression of Christians by the Jews, or the way that poor people abuse those unfortunate enough to be wealthy). This is the major theme of PFOX's existence.
Bullies as victims: the more I see it expressed here, the more I believe it to be an actual phenomenon, not just my own reification of an idea.
Robert, you're the queen of passive aggression
found any homeless or jobless trans to justify giving them special rights?
I've explained how discrimination laws victimized the innocent
you could explain why my analysis is wrong?
or you could keep whining
If you were analyzing, I would discuss with you. You rarely rise above argumentativeness. You're kind of like the kid who, when you ask him to stop talking, says "I wasn't talking," as though denying your behavior made it not so.
Sweetheart, you're a troll. Own your trollishness. Revel in it. Set up a troll pride website and invite other trolls to share their stories about how decent people abuse them, or refuse to argue with them, or won't dispute their theories, or object to their obstructionism, etc.
It's got to be that it feeds your ego in some sort of disturbing way, maybe the way that trashing 'welfare moms' makes robber-barons seem noble to themselves.
Who knows. You're kind of interesting, but it gets old after a while. You need a new schtick.
rrjr
Just got a chance to look at the "Duch" flyer that was linked to this article. That's not the same flyer that I saw on Poolesville Day. Looks like an old version was published here.
"If you were analyzing, I would discuss with you."
Actually, that's not it.
I made a point that is indisputable so rather than try to dispute it, you play the victimization card.
The law was unnecessary because trans in MC were perfectly capable of securing homes and employment without it.
"You rarely rise above argumentativeness."
You rarely say anything a reasonable person wouldn't argue with.
Anon asserted:
“Trans all had jobs and homes before the law passed.”
Simply untrue. One of my MC trans friends was unable to find work for 5 years after coming out, and the reason given for not hiring her was that she was trans, not because she couldn’t do the job. Another trans friend of mine was out of work for over 2 years at a time when all of her peers could easily find work in 2 weeks. I only happen to personally know about half a dozen trans folks that live and / or work in MC, so that’s an inordinately high percentage of folks. Granted the sample size is small, but statistically highly unusual in a county that has had single-digit unemployment for decades.
“That's because if any individual discriminated against them, they had plenty of other options.”
Again, simply untrue, as indicated by several years of unsuccessful interviews and sending out hundreds of resumes by these two women.
“Under that situation, discrimination laws are not only unnecessary but undesirable.”
Since the situation you postulated didn’t actually exist, your conclusion is irrelevant.
“The law was unnecessary because trans in MC were perfectly capable of securing homes and employment without. All this law did was give them an advantage over those without any form of sexual deviancy.”
If you’re going to insult me or people like me, you can at least do the courtesy of identifying the correct deviancy. In this case it would be gender deviancy. Many of us “gender deviants” (or “gender outlaws” as Kate Bornstein likes to call us), including myself, are actually NON-sexual. Besides, many of the people you ignominiously refer to as “sexual deviants” (i.e. gays) don’t like to be lumped into the same category as transsexuals. Also the law protects gender variant individuals who are entirely heterosexual, i.e. NOT sexual deviants by your definition.
“Now, those who don't want to hire trans or rent to trans have to worry about finding a way to proof that they weren't motivated by a dislike for trans. Since they won't have to do that to turn down a non-trans, the trans will have a built-in advantage.”
Indeed Anon. Now we’re even. Even though I know that not all Christians profess a deep-seated hatred for trans folk, there are PLENTY that do. And although it might be nice to avoid the risk of hiring or renting to a disruptive Christian who could make life difficult for me or my friends by simply not hiring or renting to ANY Christians, I have to make sure I come up with proof that denial of the job or housing wasn’t motivated by a dislike of Christians. Even though Christians can find plenty of work elsewhere in MC, they have had a built-in advantage thanks to religious protection laws for decades.
Welcome to the world of reciprocal tolerance.
Have a nice day,
Cynthia
Please, Cynthia. In the non-trans population, we all know people who can't find jobs, while others manage to find them easily.
And so what if someone doesn't get a job because he's a transsexual? Some people don't get jobs because they have messy cars. There was an article on Yahoo recently which said that some bosses have an employee check out a job applicant's car while the person is being interviewed.
There are lots of reasons for not getting a job. Believe me....I have a messy car gene and some employers wouldn't hire me if they sent someone out to look at my car.
But so what? Life's not always fair. Never has been, never will be and never can be.
P.S. And in case you're wondering....I think the same way about religion. If I'm a Christian or an aethiest or whatever and someone doesn't want to hire me because of it...that's their decision to make and I'd move on and fill out the next job application!
There is always a reason that we don't get a job, and oftentimes it's personal. If there weren't a reason, then everyone would get hired on their first job interview.
Anon opined:
“Please, Cynthia. In the non-trans population, we all know people who can't find jobs, while others manage to find them easily.”
It may surprise you to know that we actually know this in the trans population too. It is especially difficult for those people who don’t have the education, skills, or experience necessary for a job, like teenagers. Work doesn’t come for free for most of us – you have to work for it!
However, the people I was referring to both have developed marketable skills and expertise that they had successfully used for decades in gainful employment at several locations. It was only after their transitions that these facts became entirely superfluous and peoples’ irrational fear of gender variance became the single over-riding factor in determining their employment. This was evidenced by two to five consecutive years of unemployment despite dozens of interviews and sending out hundreds of resumes, as well as being told “we’re not hiring you because you’re trans.”
Diane Schroer’s case shows that even if you’re a decorated veteran with 25 years of experience (including special forces and advising the Bush administration), and obviously the most qualified person for the job, peoples’ irrational fears come into play once you mention you’re trans. Fortunately, Diane had the law on her side in this case:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEPsK_axRqo
If this kind of crap only happened occasionally, trans people really wouldn’t have a case, and it is doubtful that the testimony provided by them at the town hall meetings would have been particularly persuasive. Apparently they were able to show enough consistent patterns of irrational discrimination that lawmakers were unanimously convinced that a law was necessary to address the problem.
“And so what if someone doesn't get a job because he's a transsexual?”
Your sense of compassion is overwhelming.
For unskilled teenagers, like one of my friends from another county, it leads to a downward spiral. During her high-school career, one of my dear trans friends was a straight-A student. She had plans to go to college for a nursing degree. However, a couple of months before she turned 18, her mother told her “By the way, you’ll need to find a place to live soon – I’m moving to ____, and you’re not coming with me.”
She somehow managed to rent an apartment for a while, stayed at one of my friends for a time, and several of us gave her money and food. However she’s an extremely independent person and never liked living off of charity. She eventually ended up in a homeless shelter. Not being able to find a steady job in the regular work world, I have reason to suspect she has engaged in risky behavior.
I paid her expenses to go to the Trans Health Conference in Philly last year where she could get free health screenings and see how lots of other trans folks were making their lives work. All of her belongings fit into a backpack, which she took to the conference with her. Last I heard she had hitched a ride to New York where they have a homeless shelter for trans youth. Hopefully they’ll help get her back on the path to a nursing career.
“There are lots of reasons for not getting a job. Believe me....I have a messy car gene and some employers wouldn't hire me if they sent someone out to look at my car.”
If you see that becoming a consistent pattern in denying you a job, as well others, then I suggest you band together with other sufferers of the same discrimination, form a “Trashy Car Coalition” and see if you can get some laws passed to help you out.
As someone who likes to keep her car clean (for my friends and co-workers on our daily lunch run) don’t expect a lot of help from me. I’ve got larger issues to deal with.
“But so what? Life's not always fair. Never has been, never will be and never can be.”
I am acutely aware of that fact Anon; I live it daily. I’m just glad I wasn’t born somewhere that I’d now be living in a refuge camp somewhere, like millions of people around the world. I consider myself pretty lucky in that regard. That doesn’t mean I should sit on my laurels, let inequity reign, and not try to make the world just a slightly better place.
On another note, given the opportunity, a trans person will readily choose a place they know is trans friendly when looking for a job. They’re typically NOT going to look for a job at say, Brigham Young University. However, there aren’t a whole lot of places known for being trans friendly, so we’re stuck looking wherever we can.
Have a nice day,
Cynthia
you know, Cynthia, this is only a problem if it is obvious that the person is not the biological gender they are trying to present themselves as
otherwise, the employer wouldn't know
a stupid question: in those cases, why not just assume an appropriate vaguely androgynous appearance for the workplace and then do whatever you want in your free time?
think of it as your work uniform
Cynthia,
My brother-in-law was employed at a great job for 25+ years. He lost his job nearly a year ago and has been unemployed. He's not trans, he has great skills and still he's jobless.
Another friend of mine lost her job around the same time. She is not trans, has great skills, but she's now employed.
Go figure.
One explanation for trans people who have a hard time finding a job could be simply that they're going through a huge life changing event. When people go through huge transitions of any sort, they normally have a hard time doing things that they could do before -- like finding a job.
Anon noted:
“you know, Cynthia, this is only a problem if it is obvious that the person is not the biological gender they are trying to present themselves as”
otherwise, the employer wouldn't know”
Yes Anon, I do know that. Every single trans person on the planet knows that. That’s why those of thus that can afford it spend tens of thousands of dollars in surgeries and other medical procedures to get to the point where signs of our previous gender are as invisible as money, anatomy, and current medical technology will allow. Not only does it allow us to participate in the workforce more easily, but in practically every aspect of social life as well. The animosity typically meted out to those that obviously defy the gender boundary can be brutal. It is something to be avoided if it possibly can.
As a very frugal, single, white, middle class engineer, I was able to afford the $35,000 necessary to re-carve the bones in my head into a form that falls within female norms. I also spent roughly $60,000 over six years to have all the hair follicles burnt out of my face and neck one by one so that I could have a more feminine appearance. I consider it money well spent, and I don’t miss a penny of it. Oh, and it was entirely out-of-pocket. Insurance refuses to cover any of it, and as of 2005, the IRS ruled that any gender related surgeries are entirely “cosmetic” and as such, can NOT be deducted on one’s taxes. Thank you very much.
Unfortunately, most people, much less most trans people don’t have $35,000 lying around to spend on those procedures. As a general rule, those that can afford the surgeries have a far easier life, those that can’t are SOL.
Working and / or living such that the employer doesn’t know is called “going stealth.” It is a common practice among those that can pass well enough. People treat a stealth trans person the same as they would any other person. It’s wonderful. It’s the goal many trans folks strive for but never achieve.
Anon posited:
“a stupid question:”
I don’t consider any serious question posed in a respectful manner to be stupid. I will try to answer it as best I can.
“in those cases, why not just assume an appropriate vaguely androgynous appearance for the workplace and then do whatever you want in your free time?”
The type of people you are referring to are called “cross dressers” if they are straight, and “drag queens” if they are gay. They are men who are happy being men and dress up for fun and entertainment. Cross dressers seldom go out of the house during the day (at least dressed up any way) and you’re probably only going to see the in public if you go to an event FOR cross dressers. They work as anyone else does and dress up in their free time.
If you want to see a drag queen, you’ll need to go to a gay bar that has them performing. “Drag queen” typically isn’t the kind of job you can earn a living on. They have regular day jobs like everyone else and you’d probably never know they were a drag queen unless they told you. Drag queens seem to enjoy the theatrics of performance (typically singing, dancing, and / or lip syncing) and tips they earn while performing are typically targeted for a variety of LGBT causes. Unlike straight women in straight bars who dance around earning tips, the drag queens keep all of their clothes on.
Neither cross dressers or drag queens have any intention of living as women, nor do they want any part of any surgery that is going to remove their favorite toy.
Transwomen however, are entirely different.
Obviously I have more to write on this subject, and I haven’t fully answered your question, but I have to go to work. Hopefully I’ll have more time to write tomorrow.
Have a nice day,
Cynthia
As a child growing up in the 70’s, I frequently targeted for harassment and playground assaults by both boys and girls for being too much of a “sissy.” I couldn’t figure out exactly why, but I carefully watched how the boys behaved and started copying their behavior. But to do it well, you have to not just walk and move like a boy, but talk like a boy. You have to learn what response is appropriate when and make sure you pick the right phrase at the right time. That response changes depending on which boys or girls are involved, how well you know them, how well they know each other, what their social interrelationships are, and what their preconceived perception of you is. Based on these inputs and an internal record of how previous responses were accepted (or rejected) you select the response that is most likely to provide a socially acceptable outcome. If you’ve ever watched a sci-fi movie where the camera takes the perspective from inside a robot’s head or an alien’s helmet you will see a screen with text running by listing numerous options and then a picking of the final selection. It’s very much like that. You learn to censor every single word, movement, and even your very own thoughts in order to match an unidentified set of gender behavior rules that are imposed on you during every waking moment. Breaching these rules results in punishment meted out by your peers.
As children age, their behavior changes, and you have to change along with it. I continued to watch boys and emulate their behavior, trying to select the most common and easiest to remember or perform for any given situation. Being a male or female in our society dictates thousands of minute responses all the way down to simple hand movements and how often you can get away with smiling. In order to be accepted in society as a male, I had to emulate male responses in excruciating detail, day in and day out, until it became second nature, and I had completely buried and covered up with cement any thought, movement, or inclination that came naturally to me.
In the mean time, before going to sleep each night, I’d finish my thank you prayers to God, and then ask that he’d let me wake up the next morning as a girl.
To be continued….
Peace,
Cynthia
Post a Comment
<< Home