HRC's Response

After speaking with Christine Smith last week, I wanted to follow up on one of the items we'd discussed: The perception within the Trans community of having been repeatedly thrown under the bus by the LGBT activist group, the Human Rights Campaign.  I sent a letter to HRC which included the following excerpt from our interview:

The HRC has long has a disconnect with the transgender community, and have often advanced efforts for gays and lesbians through betrayal of promises made to transgender people. Former HRC director Elizabeth Birch famously addressed transgender issues by saying: “trans inclusion will be a legislative priority over my dead body.” We have long been the bargaining chip they have discarded in order to gain concessions for themselves. My disdain for the organization is Brobdingnagian. You’ll have a difficult time finding many transgender people who support the HRC. They have been happy to take our money, but seem to have felt no actual responsibility to represent us. There is a saying in the trans community: “You can tell when the HRC bus has come to town by the transgender bodies left crushed beneath their wheels.” There is no trust between us to build upon right now. I can’t imagine that this will change anytime soon. I don’t know if it ever will.

I requested an opportunity to speak directly with one of their spokespeople, and also offered to publish a response, if they would like to provide one. Unfortunately (though not too surprisingly) they did not take up my offer of an interview, but (for what it's worth) did send me the following statement:

Thank you for contacting HRC to share your feedback.

It is important that we hear the feedback of our supporters so we can continue to improve the experience they have with the organization. While we regret that you feel this way, HRC will continue to work on issues important to the transgender community and serve everyone. More information about our work is available at www.hrc.org/transgender. Specifically, HRC is dedicating much time and energy to rally support in order to pass an all-inclusive Employment-Non Discrimination Act so that people of any gender identity can feel safe and supported when pursuing and working in a job

The HRC Foundation is doing important work at the non-political level for the transgender community. The Workplace Project, as part of its mission, works with companies to ensure that their employment policies and benefits create a safe and supportive environment for those of any sexual orientation and gender identity. The Family Project, through its work with healthcare facilities, is helping hospitals staff members to understand the unique concerns of LGBT individuals. To learn about the specific policies and procedures that these departments are pushing to help the transgender community, feel free to contact those staff members directly at workplace@hrc.org or family@hrc.org.

Human Sexuality is Complciated...

So here's a GREAT educational video.  Right-Wing, Religious Conservatives, in particular, need to watch it and listen...



Now it is with all that in mind that I would also like to post the following from Dan Savage:

 "If the Bible got the easiest moral question that humanity has ever faced wrong - slavery - what are the odds that the Bible got something as complicated as human sexuality wrong?"

Or this, which I don't know from whence it came originally, but I read in an email the other day:

"Religion is like penis. It's OK to have one, but it's not OK to shove it in my face."

 I post all this, as yet another counterpoint to the completely absurd argument that anyone chooses to be gay. Because this is not about gene's, or any other part of science that the Right wants to misuse.  It's not a scientific argument. Not YET anyway. Right now? It's a semantic one. We don't yet agree on the TERMS, because SOME PEOPLE insist on refusing to acknowledge what WORDS MEAN.  (If there's any question, I'll refer you to the video above. If you have a problem with that, go argue with THEM.)

Being Gay (Bi-, Lesbian, Pan-, A-) is not about one's BEHAVIOR. It is about one's PREFERENCES. That's what ORIENTATION means.  Obviously one chooses one's behavior. No one is arguing about that. (Outside of University Philosophy Classes at anyway.) (I married a philosophy major, so I've got to cover all bases.)  But you do not choose your PREFERENCES.

And saying that you do only demonstrates a complete ignorance of the fact that there even is a philosophical debate going on between Free Will and Determinism, never mind where you stand in it.  I actually happen to hold on to the quaint and romantic notion of free-will myself. But that doesn't means that I don't understand the argument of the Determinists, even if I don't accept it in its entirely. Though, to be fair, it is completely idiotic to reject it in its entirety as well. 

Go figure that so many Conservatives do exactly that.

You don't choose you're preferences. Period. They are the things that, consciously and unconsciously, influence you're choices. And that's not being Liberal - that's just not being a moron.

And remember:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

 ~Jefferson

Remember him? THAT'S what America is all about.

Now would anyway like to try telling me, again, why these people shouldn't have THE SAME rights as everybody else? (And they ARE the SAME rights, BTW. So don't be a fucking moron and try to talk about them wanting "special rights."  That only marks YOU as "special!")


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BTW...
Date: 2/25/13
Morning Weight: 210.7 (BMI: 32.0)
Pounds Down: 4
Pounds to go: 36
No gym. (DW has Akido & Iado tonight.)