Looking to 2007: A Policy Preview

For decades, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has been the "gay rights" movement's flagship piece of federal legislation. Passage of ENDA would not only provide workplace non-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and bisexual employees, but it would also signal a new level of acceptance in our society.

Unfortunately, in the past, ENDA and its predecessors have included only protections for sexual orientation and not for gender identity or expression. Thus, even since before NCTE was founded in 2003, a major goal of many transgender advocates has been to encourage our allies in Congress and in the LGBT movement to change ENDA to include language that would better protect a broader range of LGBT people, including transgender people. Advocacy on this front has been a key focus of NCTE's work since our founding.

After years of educating, negotiating and drafting legislative language, we at NCTE are increasingly optimistic that as early as this coming Spring, ENDA will be introduced in Congress for the first time with language that explicitly protects transgender people from employment discrimination.

More on this development will be available in the spring as we have further details on the likelihood and timing of ENDA's introduction as well as on the exact language that will be included. For now we wanted to share with you an article from the Washington Blade (October 27, 2006) that discusses the developing consensus around transgender inclusion in ENDA.To read the story, click here: Washington Blade.

NCTE is very proud of our work to protect the broadest possible range of lesbian, gay, bisexual and, of course, transgender people from pervasive job discrimination.

The news is all too familiar to our community-a transgender person violently attacked because of another person's hatred or fear. Hate crimes have a devastating impact on the victim as well as on the larger transgender community. This month, NCTE is releasing a resource designed to help communities respond effectively in the aftermath of a hate crime as well as to begin to heal from the wounds they leave.

Responding to Hate Crimes: A Community Resource Manual contains practical ideas and information for dealing with victims, family members, law enforcement and the wider public. A wide range of community leaders and professionals contributed to the manual, including people with expertise in anti-violence work, law enforcement, mental health, media relations and community organizing.

Richard Juang, co-chair of NCTE's Board of Advisors, Cole Thaler, of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and Justin Tanis, NCTE staff member, were the principle editors of the manual.

To download the complete manual, click here: Responding to Hate Crimes.

Election Day is today, as you can no doubt tell by the fever pitch of political ads running on your TVs and radios. Tuesday, November 7th is our chance to have a say about who will be representing us in government. Many competitive races are between candidates who have very different records when it comes to support for issues that matter to us, so it is important for everyone to be a part of the democratic process by voting for the candidate who best represents your concerns.

NCTE has proactively released a new resource called Overcoming Voting Obstacles for Transgender People, to help transgender voters overcome common barriers at the polls, such as driver's licenses or other ID that does not appear to match our physical presentation. The resource also addresses concerns of trans people who may face additional obstacles to voting because of race, homelessness, felony conviction, language barriers, student status, and disability.

Transgender people may find voting to be an intimidating process for many reasons, but it really can be simple and easy. Download and review NCTE's new voter resource. Don't let these barriers stop you from voting-you have a right, and a responsibility, to cast your vote.

To read the Bay Area Reporter's news article on NCTE's voter resource, please click here.

To download Overcoming Voting Obstacles for Transgender People, please click here.

New York, NY: After a successful lawsuit by Helena Stone, 70, a transsexual woman, commuters are now free to choose the bathroom that matches their gender identity/expression when traveling on the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority public transit system. Stone was arrested three times for using the women's bathroom in Grand Central Station. Along with the change in policy, MTA is also implementing a transgender sensitivity program for its employees.

Over 150 transgender people and allies gathered October 19-21 in Corvallis, Oregon, to explore issues related to faith and gender identity at the Transforming Faith conference. Hosted by the Welcoming Congregations network, the conference included people from a variety of religious backgrounds, including Jewish, Christian, Pagan and Unitarian.

NCTE's Program Manager, Justin Tanis, delivered a plenary address on issues related to public policy and gender identity and expression. Other speakers included Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson, a transgender Presbyterian minister; Dr. Virginia Mollenkott, a pioneer in the study of sexual orientation and Christianity; Rev. Malcolm Himshoot, a transgender minister in the United Church of Christ and the subject of a documentary about his journey to ordination; and Rabbi Maurice Harris of the GLBT welcoming congregation of Beth Israel in Eugene, Oregon.

You can read an account of the conference in the local newspaper by clicking here: Gazette Times

The school year is already off to a great start with students making strides towards transgender inclusion on campus at Yale University, the University of Georgia and the University of Minnesota.

With Yale University adding gender identity/expression to its nondiscrimination policy, the entire Ivy League now officially does not discriminate against trans-identified or gender variant people. More than a thousand members of the Yale community signed a petition urging passage of the policy change. Sadly, the campus was later beset with anti-gay e-mails and flyers during the annual National Coming Out Day.

Students at the University of Georgia now have the option of gender-neutral restrooms in the hall where the LGBT Resource Center is located. The Resource Center will continue to advocate for the designation of addition restrooms on campus to be made available to students of all genders.

A Transgender Commission has come together at the University of Minnesota to explore the challenges faced by gender-variant students. The Commission, which is recognized by the University, includes representatives from on-campus as well as members of the local community. Among the issues they will be tackling are the establishment of gender-neutral restrooms in every building on campus, housing for students who don't fit the gender norms and access to trans-inclusive health care.

Here are some interesting links to articles related to gender identity and expression and to transgender people that have been in the news recently:

The New York Times featured an article last month on a gathering of Two-Spirited Native Americans at their ninth annual conference in Montana: New York Times

The Louisville, Kentucky, Courier-Journal recently featured a series of features on the Transsistahs and Transbrothahs Conference held in the city. You can read more at Courier Journal

The Traditional Values Coalition, a radical right-wing activist group, released their Back to School Report, entitled, "Will Cross-Dressing Activists Come To Your School?" This fear-laden document alleges that transgender people are recruiting school age children to the "gender confusion movement." You can read the report here: TVC

As NCTE has grown, so have our printing needs. It's time for us to upgrade from our slow-poke inkjet to a small office laser printer. So, instead of our standard request for your ongoing support, we're asking for an early holiday present: a new printer.

A donation of $330 will allow NCTE to purchase a printer that can keep up with our production of resource publications, letters to members of Congress, legislative comments, and reports. Please consider making $330 a donation today. You can donate as an individual or go in with friends to keep the presses running at NCTE. To donate online, please click here.