Passage of Referendum 71 in Washington state is a victory for fairness and families
"This victory promotes fairness, supports families, and is good for Washington state and the country. This victory sends the message that no family should be left vulnerable and without basic protections because of someone else's prejudices."- Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 - Voters in Washington state have approved Referendum 71, which preserves expanded domestic partner protections for same-sex couples and unmarried senior couples, according to unofficial results. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund committed financial and staff resources contributing to this victory. It supported Washington Families Standing Together with a $10,000 contribution to underwrite the hiring of a statewide field director, provided advice and expertise to develop campaign and field plans, and sent a senior organizer to train the campaign field team.
Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
"Passage of Referendum 71 is a victory for fairness and families in Washington state. Voters stood together, listened carefully and rejected the opposition's effort to distort the facts. This victory promotes fairness, supports families, and is good for Washington state and the country. This victory sends the message that no family should be left vulnerable and without basic protections because of someone else's prejudices."Washington Families Standing Together ran an excellent campaign to educate and mobilize voters all across the state about the domestic partner law and its protections for the 12,000 residents in registered domestic partnerships and their children. The campaign drove home the point that all families need and deserve fair treatment, especially in times of crisis. Health insurance, pensions, death benefits and family leave to care for a sick loved one were among the benefits made vulnerable by the threat to the domestic partnership law.
"Washington Families Standing Together brought together a broad spectrum of supporters who know that protecting all our families is good for the entire community. The National Gay and Lesbia Lesbian Task Force congratulates the campaign and thanks all the voters who cast a ballot in favor of equality."
Statement by Josh Friedes, Campaign Manager,
Washington Families Standing Together
"This is a wonderful victory for all those who value fairness and equality. Washingtonians have defended fairness and taken a strong stand for all families. We would not be celebrating this victory if it were not for Washingtonians' commitment to civil rights, our amazing campaign staff, our volunteers, our community and allies, and the support of organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The Task Force spent time with us on the ground to train our campaign field team and contributed financially to help us ensure this victory."To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org and follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce
(http://www.twitter.com/theTaskForce).
And on a personal note, it was a true pleasure to meet Rea at the No On 1 gathering the other evening! :)
This is a guest post by Marisa Richmond, Ph.D. She is the president of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC). She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Equality Project & Board of Advisors of National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). She is a former Board Member of American Educational Information Services (AEGIS), International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE), National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC), and Nashville's Rainbow Community Center. She served as Co-Chair of Southern Comfort Convention in 2001, chaired the host committee of the 2002 IFGE Convention in Nashville, & served on the Planning Committee for Nashville Black Pride in 2004. She won IFGE's prestigious Trinity Award in 2002, and the HRC Equality Award in 2007.
In February 2008, she became a columnist for
Triangle Journal News in Memphis and, since April 2006, she has been a regular panelist on Out & About Today on News Channel 5 in Nashville. Previously, she was a columnist for Out & About Nashville from August 2004 to December 2005 and the author of Casa Marisa, a monthly column in Transgender Community News from July 1999 to August 2004.In 2008, Prof. Richmond was the first black transgender delegate to the Democratic Nratic National Convention.
Prof. Richmond is another member of the trans community who I've asked to share their thoughts on federal hate crime legislation -- the hate crime legislation that was signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009.
~~Autumn~~
By Marisa Richmond, Ph.D.
The recent adoption of hate crimes legislation by the United States Government is a major step forward for the transgender community. this is the first time any positive legislation for LGBT people has ever been adopted, and for it to be fully inclusive makes this extra special.
For years, transgender activists fought to be included in this legislation because of the ongoing level of violence against transgender people across the nation. For many of us, the darkest hour came in 2005 when nearly 40 national groups singed a joint letter to members of the U.S. Senate urging them to adopt the fully inclusive bill which had passed the House, while another group, after pledging they would fight "only" for fully inclusive legislation, both refused to sign that letter and issued its own urging Senators to ignore the House action and adopt a separate bill that left transgender people. The argument that this "strategy" was necessary to pass such a bill was bigoted and, simply, poor politics.
Today, as we stand on the edge of yet another Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Transgender Day of Remembrance, we can remember all that we lost in the knowledge that future victims of gender based violence will have those crimes aggressively investigated and prosecuted.
We should not forget, however, that the battle to end violence against transgender people has not been totally won. We still have to end discrimination in the workplace. Many communities still do not have any protections and must rely on the Federal government to take action to ensure they have a level playing field.
There is also the problem of what to do for those who live in states where there is a lack of interest in pursuing even an investigation of violence against transgender people. My home state of Tennessee is one such place. Our largest city, Memphis, home of the Blues, Barbeque, and Elvis, has become identified as the most dangerous city in the country for transgender people. I am regularly asked by other trans people if it is safe for them to visit Memphis.
The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) has a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly, SB0253 by Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis)/HB0335, by Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis), which would add "gender identity or expression" to Tennessee's Hate Crimes statute. Currently, Tennessee is one of 38 states which does not provide protection for transgender residents. The rash of hate crimes against transgender persons, especially against African American transgender women in Memphis, make passage of this bill even more important here. Having an additional tool available to victims will make life fefsafer for everyone and send a message that the lives of transgender people in Tennessee have value too.
We encourage everyone in the other 37 states that do not have hate crimes laws covering all LGBT people to continue the work to raise awareness of violence against all of us and to push to make sure your state laws match the federal one so that victims can pursue justice on every availilable front.
Thanks again to everyone across this great nation who worked hard to make sure that transgender people were not left behind and to see that the lives of transgender people are now recognized as having value.
~~~~~
Related:
* Pam's House Blend tag: Transgender Hate Crimes Essay Project
Our old fundie friend, Pastor Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (yeah, that's clue number one about his point of view), is back at his gay hating ways. But this time he's taking it to a whole new level. Cass and crew are headed to DC on November 16th to protest the Hate Crimes Act in front of the Department of Justice. Their tactic?They'll be calling for violence against LGBT people to try and get arrested so they can "prove" the Hate Crimes Act infringes on their God given right to beat up fags:
The "Rally for Religious Freedom" in front of the Department of Justice in Washington is intended to force Attorney General Eric Holder either to address the issues or be put in a position of ignoring those who say they are violating the provisions of the federal law, Cass said. "We're basically going to defy the law, and challenge it," Cass told WND. "We're going to declare the whole counsel of God, including those parts that some may consider 'inciting a hate crime' to see if the attorney general is going to come down and arrest a group of peaceful clergy exercising their First Amendment rights
Gary "Let's Incite Hate Crimes for God" Cass has lots of practice passing around the haterade.
Cass is the former head of the Center For Reclaiming America at the late Reverend James Kennedy's Anti-Gay Coral Ridge Ministries. Readers may remember Cass as the charmer who called former head of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Matt Foreman a:
radical homosexual activist that slandered the reputations of Christian ministerswhen Foreman spoke out against the hate being preached from pulpits after the slaying of transgender teen Simmie Williams Jr.
Cass is also the kind-hearted soul that blasted Bishop Gene Robinson for being openly gay and "bastardizing the church and Bible" at a speaking event my husband hosted at his university. He was ae was also one of Jim "RoboPotty to stop the gays" Naugle's, the former anti-gay mayor of Fort Lauderdale, biggest supporters during the battle with the South Florida LGBT community.
Not to mention he thinks they need guns in churches to fight the infidels...
I have had quite a few face-to-face meetings with Cass and can attest that he truly hates us. He also loves the media. So I guess this public fomenting of violence is a match made in twisted fundie heaven for him.
Pastor Cass has every right to espouse his hate-filled bile... and we have every right to call him out for the violent bigot he is. Hate Crimes legislation has nothing to do with speech, religious beliefs, or thoughts- no matter how disgusting they may be.
In the end, however, this "protest" simply shines a light on the radical, bigoted, violent agenda of these crusaders.
Take a good look, America.
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