» Social Justice

Room to Read: World Change Starts with Educated Children

Rebecca — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:57:39 +0000

I remember when my library card was one of my most cherished possessions and it still is! While the internet and Google Books opens up alot of reading to me, there’s nothing quite like the experience of going to the library and browsing, and then reading a book or magazine in a quiet place dedicated to books. But that reading is more important than just for the enjoyment. It’s about education, opening minds, and giving people a chance to grow and Room to Read is all about that.

Room to read, from their web site:

Over 300 million children around the world do not have access to education and most likely will never learn to read or write. Room to Read believes that all children, regardless of gender or background, have a right to education. By empowering children through this lifelong gift, we see a world in which people are able to realize their full potential.

Room to Read had its humble origins in Nepal in 2000, where we began bringing donated books to rural communities. Today, we are a global organization dedicated to promoting and enabling education through four core programs.

The importance of reading, according to the University of Michigan, for children is that:

It improves their chances for success in school itself and in working
It’s a fun and imaginative activity for children (so it exercises their brains)
It’s an important way to use language and to communicate

Those are all great goals to help kids anywhere certainly; but helping them in some of the most impoverished places on the planet can be important to start seeing the changes that make for a better world. Sadly, 2/3 of the 770 million illiterate people in the world are girls and women and Room to Read is an important part in changing that terrible statistic. You can learn more about this terrific program at their web site Room to Read

Waltham House, LGBT Youth Home, Sponsors Casino Night Fund Raiser April 27th

Rebecca — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:00:59 +0000

Waltham House is a group home for “designed to provide a safe and supportive living environment for up to 12 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) youth ages 14-18. The program also serves youth who may be questioning (Q) their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.” You can learn more about Waltham House by visiting their web site here.

That’s a great thing since Mona Rae Mason from the Transgender Project has noted that the percentage of homeless kids who are transgender is very high (see her post, “The Coming Out Party is Over“). Places like Waltham House are safe places that help protect and nurture some of the kids.

But they often need money to do their job so Waltham House is sponsoring a Casino Night Fund Raiser on April 27th starting at 6PM at Club Cafe in Boston. Sounds like a good cause doesn’t it? You can learn more about this fund raiser so you can attend and have fun at this link, “Waltham House Casino Night“

Massachusetts Transgender social and support group, SISTERS, meets with Capone’s Restaurant over discrimination

Rebecca — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:30 +0000

Discrimination still lives in America and right here in the Northeast no less. Not that such should come as a surprise. The Brazilians who come to our shores are sometimes harassed for just being here, women are discriminated against by being pigeon holed in entry level jobs, and transgender persons are too for just being who they are. You can see a whole list of what’s current in discrimination in Massachusetts by checking this quick Google search link in fact.

The most current hot and public issue in the transgender community though on discrimination is the Capone’s of Peabody MA vs. SISTERS discrimination affair. To bring our readers up to speed, SISTERS, a Boston area Social and Support Group visited Capone’s on several occasions until one day, they attempted to visit to have a few drinks and dance and then there were told they could not come in and that they were not welcome. If it had been a private club that would have been that. But it was an open to the public venue and so, such behavior by Capone’s, really sounded like discrimination. SISTERS pushed the issue to the Peabody licensing board, in a professional and non-confrontational manner, and now the issue is in mediation. This whole thing might seem like a small issue but it’s not. It’s discrimination. Do all persons have to like all other persons regardless of race, gender, sex, or nationality. No, this isn’t about thought police. But people do have to treat each other with respect. And that’s what this issue is about.

Kudos to Ashley Bottoms and the SISTERS FAMILY for pushing this issue the right way and the professional way to bring about positive change.

You can catch up on all the back story at:

Update
2-26-2010: MTPC has issued a statement regarding the incident. The last paragraph of their statement is imporant to note,

“MTPC calls upon the transgender community to rally behind the pending H1728/S1687 Transgender Civil Rights act that would finally establish clear legal guidelines and remedies for situations such as the one at Capone’s. There is no good reason why any good citizens of our Commonwealth should be treated in a demeaning fashion, and the law should reflect our state’s broad consensus in this.”

Amen to that!

Massachusetts Transgender Equality Lobby Day

Rebecca — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:00:59 +0000

Last April, friends Paula and Michelle and 300 others spent the day at the Massachusetts State House to lobby for Transgender Equality. I chronicled last year’s little story at Beck’s Cafe, “Trans Civil Rights Lobby Day: Rountable with Michelle, Paula and Rebecca“. And here we are a year later and it’s time once again for another lobby day!

As I heard Diego Sanchez say once in a meeting, “We aren’t looking for any special rights; just the ones we somehow lost because we are trans”. Well put and precisely the point of the outing. So here are the details for all of you who can join in:

Date: Thursday January 21
Time: 2PM-5PM
Location: Nurses Hall, Massachusetts State House

More details are at MTPC’s site, “Transgender Lobby Equality Day, 2010“

Volunteer Match puts your talents to work for good causes

Rebecca — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:46:19 +0000

Being unemployed can be a double whammy smack down to your self-esteem in this economy. First, you lose your position then you find you are working months to get a new employment. Between being rejected and the self-doubt that can sometimes arise and the difficulty of finding a new position, (which includes some new institutional rudeness and dehumanizing), your self-esteem can feel pretty down.

Sometimes the best way to get out of the dumps and pick up some energy to move forward is by expending some energy in volunteering. It makes you feel good, helps you stay out and about, and who knows but a career door may open you hadn’t considered. But where to volunteer? That seems like an easy question to answer since today almost any non-profit organization might use any number of skills that you have. But, if the idea of picking up the phone and calling your local shelter, nursing home or school seems daunting Volunteer Match can be of help. Volunteer Match actually posts listings for volunteer opportunities in your area. Just plug-in your city and state and bingo you get a list. A nice feature is that the volunteer listings tell you in many cases what they need so you don’t have to figure it out before you call. Another nice bennie? They have listings for on-line volunteer help too! That’s right, keep those slipper socks and jammies on and you can volunteer from behind your keyboard as well. This might be a great option if your in a time crunch but still want to put some of your time out to a good cause.

I’m getting another cup of coffee from Beck’s Cafe and going to peruse Volunteer Match why don’t you come along for the fun

Stonewall Transgender Heroes Honored ~ How many on this list do you know personally?

Rebecca — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:18:57 +0000

2009 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York. I know; 2009 is almost over.

Ahh yes, indeed, Father Time is soon to close the books on 2009 however, the facts remain that this is still 2009 and our readers might like to know about our transgender heroes; many of whom are actually from the Boston area.

First, many of our coffee clutching readers might need to remind themselves of or learn for the first time, what Stonewall was. Its not mainstream history so you might not actually know, so, jog on over to Wikipedia and read on The Stonewall Riots.

Now, onto Stonewall Trans-Heroes 40. This list is sponsored by The Imperial Court System and by The Task Force. Readers, when you go through this list you’ll likely know some of these men and women personally. Next time you see them say, “congratulations” and “thanks” for all they are doing with each of us to make all our lives just a little bit better.

MA Transgender Equality – H 1728 – we need everyone’s help, please

Rebecca — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:57:38 +0000

A new poll just released by Lake Research Partners shows that 76% of
likely voters in Massachusetts, including 81% of women, support H 1728
An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes. These
results prove what we all knew all along; ending harmful discrimination
against the transgender community is a Massachusetts value and ought to
be made a priority of the state legislature.

Now we need your help please. Please tell your Representative to make
this a priority now! Transgender Civil Rights cannot wait any longer.

Right now, An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate
Crimes is being held in the Judiciary Committee, with no set date to be
released for a full vote in the legislature. Please take a moment to
call or email to your Representative asking them to call on House
Speaker DeLeo to make H 1728 An Act Relative to Gender Based
Discrimination and Hate Crimes a priority this year.

Representatives and their staffs tell us that calls and emails make all
the difference!

- To get your Representative’s phone number go to
http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenuh.htm

- To find out who your Rep is and their email address go to
http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php and whom
ever is listed for “Rep in General Court” is your rep.

**** some sample text and scripts you might use *****

Here is a sample script you might use when calling:

My name is _____ and I am a proud resident of (your city). I am calling
to ask you as my Representative to contact House Speaker DeLeo ask him
to make H 1728, the transgender rights bill, a priority this year. I can
be reached at _______ (give your phone number). Thank you.

Here is a sample script you might use when emailing:

Dear Rep _____

I am a constituent in your district and I am writing you to ask you
as my Representative to contact House Speaker DeLeo urge him to make
H 1728, An At Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate
Crimes, a priority this year. Transgender rights cannot wait any
longer. Thank you.

Sincerely (your name)

************

Call or write using your legal name if you wish; no one is asking any of
us to out ourselves; but, contacting our government officials is going
to help all of us here in Massachusetts.

Ashley, Paula, Joan C., Michelle, Sally, Dana, June, Gunner, Nancy,
Gordene, Ethan, myself and so many others have done little things here
and there to help move this important legislation along. With a
little more work from our community we can all see our civil rights
returned to us!

To see Ashley and Sally interviewed by Fox News on this bill and it’s
importance, please click to Fox News here:
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/071409_Transgender_equity_bill_fuels_fight

To learn about Michelle, Becki and Paula’s experience in the community lobbing our state reps, please click to this article here:
http://beckscafe.com/2009/06/21/trans-civil-rights-lobby-day-roundtable-with-michelle-paula-rebecca/

Thanks to everyone for their support!!

ENDA 2009 HR 3017 / S. 1584 Conference Call Update

Rebecca — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:46:51 +0000

Back on September 5th we ran an announcement about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act update Conference Call hosted by NCTE. Beck’s Cafe was on that call and while you are hopefully enjoying a lazy Sunday cup of fair trade coffee we thought we’d share some of our notes and thoughts, bullet form, with our readers.

Opening statement by the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)

NCTE hosted the meeting and it was kicked off by their Executive Director, Mara Kiesling
The key message of the entire call? Time to get moving. We might actually be able to get the Federal inclusive ENDA bill passed in 2009.
A Vote may come in the house in the next few weeks and the GLBT community, and particular the transgender group have to show we have the votes to get a vote! Many members have never even talked to a trans-person and don’t know if ENDA is a real issue for THEIR votes [ed: see Beck's Cafe article from June 2009, "Trans Civil Rights Lobby Day: Roundtable with Michelle, Paula & Rebecca" to see a glimpse of just such an exchange.]

So what’s up with ENDA (HR 3017) in the U.S. House of Representatives?

HR 3017 is the designation for ENDA in our House of Representatives
The Education and Labor Committee will discuss the bill in September but there is no solid date. Where there is a date they will publicize it
The hearing will have at least one transgender discrimination victim and one gay discrimination victim
Various experts on both sides will testify
After this hearing, the committee will poll the house to see if the votes are there to pass ENDA in the house; if there are, then there will be a vote in 30-45 days!!
NCTE has hired a new part-time person to help get new sponsors on board for ENDA
Lots of meetings are happening now but the U.S. Representatives need to hear from us, their constituents! They need to hear “Thank You” if they are supporters and “Pleaes Support Us” if they are not supporters. By communicating with them we let them know we are here [not unlike the Who's strategy in Horton Hear's A Who]

So how about the ENDA (S. 1584) in the U.S. Senate?

S. 1584 is the designation for ENDA in our Senate
Kennedy, Snow, Collins, Merkley are all in
Not on a fast track as the House bill is. Currently it appears that late this year or early Spring 2010 a Senate vote will take place on ENDA
Mara, “We have to do work here. We really have to step this up big time.”
Our late Senator Kennedy was the LGBT community’s biggest supporter. He Felt transgender rights were VERY important. He knew that while he was ill and focusing on health care reform he needed to hand the lead on inclusive ENDA to someone he could trust, and so he found the right lead sponsor in Senator Merkley. Senator Merkley in Portland has two bills in his office that protect transgender people from discrimination. He iS GUNG HO supporting the an inclusinve ENDA. He needs the LGBT community to do our work to get ENDA voted in. It’s CRITICAL the entire LGBT community act
NOW is the time! Our congressmen and women want to listen to us. They want to meet people. They want to meet transgender persons. Maybe your past transition but they want to meet you. Mara shared how Senator Sshumar called NCTE to tell them “Senator Schumar’s office is going to be doing advocacy for transgender people, can you please bring some by so we can meet them” so Mara did just that setting up a special meeting to do so.
Congress WANTS to hear from us they want to know we are real

Mason Davis of the Transgender Law Center

The truth is ENDA will not happen without the action and compassion from us to the political folks.
THIS is the watershed moment for TG people. This will divide our need from what is now to what will be and Mason urged everyone to take ownership of this moment for TG equality
Be creative, persistent and pro-active in contacting your representatives. Reach out to community leaders, local leaders and let policy makers hear about the importance of ENDA.

John Williams – National Center for Lesbian Rights(NCLR)

John is the Transgender Equality Organizer for NCLR. He was an intern with Mara at NCTE. He works daily in congress on transgender rights and inclusive ENDA
Nothing changes the minds of our Senators and Represenatives better than hearing directly from each of us and they want to hear from us
How do you create connections with those reps?
* Lobby visits are nice and encouraged when you can.
* Meet with the representative or their staff; both count!
* Getting to know the staff personally helps!
* NCTE has created an ENDA specific lobby visit tool [ed: visit NCTE's Resource site and scroll down to the Political Advocacy section to see the links to prepare for a visit]
* Postcards works
* Education events help and inviting congressional staff to such events are helpful too.
* The Task Force has a helpful ENDA Kit too. [ed. - see The Task Force's ENDA Kit by clicking here]
* Writing letters and emails to congress person also is good. NCTE has a link to do that go. The more personal the letter, the bigger the impact…go to your senators web site and write to them right then and there…Tell them WHY ENDA is so important to you and your family.
* Visit member’s web sites and get their DC phone number and call; they want to hear from us and that we’d love their support.
John is available to help you, email him at jwilliams@nclrights.org

Diego Sanchez, Senior Legislative Adviser to Barney Frank

We believe we have the votes to get this passed in house and senate; we have to be prepared though for those who don’t want this passed
Jillian Todd Weiss, of the Trans Workplace Blog, has the legislator of the day on her twitter page…take action and call or write that person if they are in your district and not on board
How do we talk to people who are against ENDA? We can say this is about rights, fairness, and equality. Third Wave language works too … talk about inclusion…this welcome LGBT people into what already exists (or what was lost)
Expect this BILL to hit the floor and senate THIS YEAR.
Everyone is back in session in D.C.! All the cafeteria’s are open. Staff and legislators are back. Our issues matter. We aren’t tabling ourselves for other matters. Our lives are important and matter. We are real.

September 8th, 8PM EST, ENDA update conference call hosted by NCTE

Rebecca — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:55:54 +0000

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is hosting a general conference call on September 8th, 8PM Eastern Time, to bring listeners up to date on the ENDA legislation and let listeners know how they can help get the U.S. Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed.

What is ENDA? As NCTE notes:

This legislation would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote an employee simply based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. It would reinforce the principle that employment decisions should be based upon a person’s qualifications and job performance.
ENDA closely follows the model of existing federal civil rights laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are treated in the same way as other groups protected under law – no better, no worse.

To join the NCTE conference call update on ENDA please click to their site to register ahead of time: NCTE ENDA CON CALL LINK

To learn more about ENDA please link here: GovTrack on ENDA and at Wikipedia’s ENDA article here.

One would think our existing laws are enough. Just enforce what we have to protect all Americans in accordance with the spirit of our Declaration of Independence, “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”. However, existing laws, such as Title VII may not protect trans-persons from discrimination (see why here) and note the Diane Schroer case with the U.S. Library of Congress here.

It stinks that we can’t just take the Declaration of Independence and existing laws as is but, when we don’t, as well as the rest our laws, then we need to strengthen protections (which adds costs and burden to our economy but let’s not go there right now). An interesting historical parallel/aside on the topic of the necessity of new laws that on the surface don’t seem necessary is the issue of slavery in the U.S., as reported in Newsweek in July of 2008. “The 13th amendment passed in 1865 made slavery unconstitutional. There was no federal statute that made it a crime to hold a black person as a slave.” Slavery was unconstitutional and immoral but legal! You can read that full story at Newsweek’s site here.

We covered ENDA here at Beck’s Cafe extensively in 2007 and for some of the back stories please see:

Iran’s unrest blogged LIVE on Twitter

Rebecca — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:54:12 +0000

I work with quite a few Iranians. The women are kind souls and the men can be comically bellicose. But, to a person, they all want to see a revolution in their country. That means something different to them than to us I think. They seem to be okay with the violence if it means that the current regime is ousted. They don’t want Iran back…they want Persia back. The live story of this historic moment is happening at http://iran.twazzup.com/

It’s pretty amazing using Twitter. Since Twitter can work via SMS messaging, the Iranian government can’t shut down the communications network that has popped up to support the unrest revolution that is happening. Go take a look at http://iran.twazzup.com/ and, if you are on Twitter, don’t forget to make your icon green in support of Iran Freedom by visiting http://helpiranelection.com/

(photo courtesy of Rob & Ale Photostream)

Trans Civil Rights Lobby Day: Roundtable with Michelle, Paula & Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:35:42 +0000

“An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” has been re-introduced for the 2009 legislative session in the House by Representative Carl Sciortino and Representative Byron Rushing (HB 1728) and in the Senate by Senator Benjamin Downing (S.1687).

The hearing date July 14, 2009 and you can submit your testimony by July 10th by clicking to MTPC’s site here. But alot has been going on to get us to this point and let’s hear from just three of our community on this.

Back on April 7th, 2009 MTPC led a lobby day that had large attendance and many key speakers. To say it was a moving experience is an understatement. While the facts of the story have been covered at Pam’s House Blend, on a post at MTPC, on a post at the Interfaith Coalitions Website, and finally at Boston’s Bay Window article here, what about putting another face to the story? Well, that’s just what Michelle, Paula and Rebecca did, while enjoying salad and calzone together after the lobby day. Let’s listen in to their discussion; the results may enlighten you to a more human side of this story:

- One question we have to ask each other (queue diet cokes being sipped) is, why did we attend the lobby days in the first place?

Michelle: While I’m not particularly politically active, I find myself very motivated to do what little bit I can to help fight for trans rights. I’ve been fortunate enough so far that my path has gone pretty smoothly, but I realize that this could turn in an instant, and with our current laws could leave me without much recourse. I have so many wonderful friends in the trans community that I am happy to do this one small thing to help.
Paula: I attended Transgender Lobby day for the first time in April because as a transgendered person I am always concerned about my safety when I go out alone as well as for the safety of my friends in the transgender community when we go out in a group.a
Rebecca: Like Michelle, I’m not really politically active. I’m a conservative really. But for me, this whole topic hit close to home when I lost a mid-level management position due to discrimination for bring transgender. Suddenly, my eyes were open that even in high tech, transgender people were at risk regardless of if they were doing a great job or not. That really angered me.

- I think we all had different expectations going into this, but, what did you hope to accomplish?

Michelle: I wanted to make the issue real for my state representative by spending some time with her in person.
Paula: Because of the stigma out there in society we transgendered persons have to be very careful. There are many persons who accept and respect us for who we are but there are others who do not and would think nothing of using violence against us because of simply who we are. Ask a gay person about hate and violence. They will concur with what I am talking about. Gays and lesbians are now covered under hate crimes legislation. It took a long time for this to happen but society finally realized gays and lesbians are people like you and me and deserve protection under the law like anyone else. We transgendered persons only ask for the same protection everyone should have under the law. Violence against anyone for no reason should not be tolerated.
Rebecca: My reps have all signed on, so at one level, I just wanted to thank them. So I made little gift bags filled with chocolates and a cute card that said, “thanks for supporting us”. It’s a small gesture but one that I hope let them know their support meant alot to us.But, my other hope in attending was to have dialogue with my reps and others who may have never met a transperson. To show them we weren’t all that different.

- [between bites of wonderful Ceaser Salad comes another question] Was this your first time at this or had you attended before?

Michelle: This was my second time. I participated in the first Mass Transgender Lobby Day in 2007.
Paula: This was my maiden voyage in this.
Rebecca: This was my second time as well. I attended in 2007 too. I think at that point in my life I was still trying to figure out how to latch my bra correctly but I knew this was important so I went.

- So, what were your first impressions?

Michelle: I’m just perpetually impressed by Gunner’s leadership, and what he is able to accomplish. I found the first lobby day to be an incredible event, but this one topped it in every way. It was great to be sitting right in the center of the State House, with so many inspiring speakers addressing the challenges that we all face.I forget his name – the African American co-sponsor of the legislation. He blew me away. First, he melted my heart with his warm smile and warm welcome to the crowd. Then he got me riled up as he drew comparisons between our current struggle for protection of our rights with that of African Americans in the 60s.
Paula: [quietly munching on her calzone, deep in thought]
Rebecca: I was completely surprised and delighted at the support we received. Particularly from the faith community. What a great group of preachers; unafraid of being men and women of faith, and unashamed to stand up to say that discrimination of transgender people is wrong. That really had a big impact on me.

- What were the results of some of your conversations with our representatives and senators?

Michelle: I was thrilled with how our conversation went with Representative Polito. She seemed to show sincere interest in starting to understand who we are and the challenges we face. She mentioned that we were the first trans people she had ever (knowingly) met. This is why I pushed so hard to get face-to-face communication with her – I figured that without knowing the human side of the transgendered rights issues, it would be just too easy for her to dismiss it as some left-wing issue. It will be a long effort to get support from reps such as her, but it seems totally worth our time to at least help her understand our interests. Probably the best part of our chat was being joined by Becki and Paula, who are both Republican (as is Rep. Polito). They were able to help make a connection that I could never make with her, since my political views are so different from hers.I was disappointed that I was the only constituent who visited my rep on the lobby day. While she listened openly, I realized that as far as she is concerned right now, this is an issue that only effects one member of her constituency. I really hope that we can get more residents of her district to reach out to her.
Paula: My first and only encounter with a representative was with one who was a Republican. I don’t remember her name [ed: Representative Polito] but my friends Michelle, Becki and I had a lengthy conversation with her. She listened to us intently. I think for this representative it was her first look into the life of a transgendered person. I watched the expressions on her face closely. When Becki and I told her we were married and had children and were Evangelical Christians there was a look of surprise on her face. Michelle told this representative of her life as a transgendered person being married with a young child and a professional business person in the community. I don’t think this representative ever met a transgendered person before our visit or at least one she was aware of. I could see her eyes open wide because now maybe for the first time in her life she got to see what transgender is. She saw the faces of three real people who live, work, pray and love just like everyone else.I don’t know how she will vote on the Hate Crimes Bill but I bet the next time she is out in public she will see people in a new light.
Rebecca: One result that almost moved me to tears was the response from Senator Karen Spilka’s staff. When they heard my story about issues I had faced their immediate response was, “call us next time, we will help you”. That was so empowering.The other result was the conversation with Representative Polito that Michelle, Paula and I had. I loved the look on her face when she said, “Well, I don’t really know much about your world, I’m just working here at the state, taking care of the kids and so on”. When we told her about ourselves she was truly surprised. I’m not sure what she thought of us before, but afterwards, I can say we gave her a new perspective!

As we finished up our chat, slipped our dirty dishes into the garbage and got ready to head home, Paula had one last thing to say to finish up our roundtable discussion, Paula capped our discussion by saying, “Even though we are transgendered we are people too! That is all we ask is to be treated like people and be protected under the law as all citizens are entitled to”.

Amen sister!

104 Legislators Co-sponsoring An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination & Hate Crimes!

Rebecca — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:00:32 +0000

Now this is nice news. Having personally faced discrimination twice in my life, on the job for being transgender (and this in high tech heaven no less) I was really happy to see this news from our hard workin’ crew at MTPC, 104 Legislators Co-sponsoring An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination & Hate Crimes!

So now the work begins to actually get the bill passed so now we can all join in the fun of lobbying

I remember being at The Neighborhood one time and I saw Gunner there. We were chatting about the whole ENDA fiasco. And I said to Gunner, “You know, I think we have to do this at the local level” and he agreed.

Of course MTPC has been making the grassroots local level work happen for years like no one’s business. He and the entire MTPC team have done a great job rallying all of us to do something locally to improve our lot. So how can you get involved?

There’s a lobby day planned on April 7 and some training planned too ahead of time. So you don’t sit like I did in front of my State Rep saying, “yeah this is good you should support this”. I eventually got my message down and actually on message thanks to MTPC’s coaching. You can too! Rummage on over to MTPC’s web site to learn how you can help: MTPC Ways To Help

$20 raised in our Salvation Army Kettle

Rebecca — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:00:40 +0000

Many thanks to the anonymous donor who plunked in $20 for our Salvation Army Kettle! Only $105.00 to go!

Beck’s Cafe joins with the Salvation Army for Christmas

Rebecca — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:36:17 +0000

Come help our team of plucky, oh so gorgeous and quite friendly Barrista’s make Christmas a bit more fun for your neighbors. Beck’s Cafe has teamed up with the Salvation Army in their On-Line Red Kettle program.

Our collective goal (on-line kettles and those kettles at establishments in your neighborhood) is $1M for Christmas. Beck’s Cafe’s little part is $125.00 So click on our kettle off in the right hand column of Beck’s Cafe and donate something small or large. All donations go right to the Salvation Army. Beck’s Cafe is not reimbursed, we are just happy to provide some space and spread the word

ENDA fallout constricts Title VII claims

Rebecca — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:00:39 +0000

First, the good news. As reported at the CCH Internet Research Network,

A federal district court in the District of Columbia concluded that a male-to-female- transsexual job applicant could proceed with her Title VII sex bias claim against the Library of Congress, which allegedly withdrew its job offer for a terrorism research analyst position with the Congressional Research Service after the applicant disclosed that she was under a doctor’s treatment for gender dysphoria and would be transitioning to a female before beginning work with the agency.

That is great news as it helps to shore up job protections for transgender people.

Now the not so good news. Earlier we had posted alot about ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This act was to have employment protections for all of us in the GLBTIQ alphabet. However, the trasngender piece was pulled out in order to create a bill that had better chances of passing in Congress. That made alot of us pretty unhappy. But it appears that removing the transgender protections from ENDA may have even more far reaching consequences. Again, as reported in the same article at CCH Internet Research Network,

the court also noted that the House recently passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3685), which would ban discrimination only on the basis of sexual orientation, not gender identity, suggesting that as a result, the applicant’s definition of sex under Title VII might be too expansive.

The result may be that Title VII cannot be used in a way that allows protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender because ENDA had the transgender portion removed.

Boston, MA to honor Transgender Day of Remembrance

Rebecca — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:02:13 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2007

Boston to honor Transgender Day of Remembrance
Vigil and Speak-Out, preceded by Town Hall Meeting, on Sunday, Nov 18

On Sunday November 18, Boston’s transgender community, with
family, friends and allies, will gather at the Arlington Street Church
to remember and honor transgender victims of violence. The
Remembrance observance will be preceded by an afternoon Town
Hall Meeting conducted by the Massachusetts Transgender Political
Coalition (MTPC).

The Transgender Day of Remembrance observance starts in the
Arlington Street Church sanctuary at 7PM. The program includes
invited speakers followed by a community speak-out, then a
candlelight vigil to Copley Square, returning to the church for a
warm-up reception.

Included this year will be a presentation about the honoring of Debra
Forte, a Haverhill transgender women murdered in 1995. A stone
bearing her name was placed this past fall in Boston’s Garden of Peace,
a memorial commemorating victims of homicide.

Starting at 3PM, all are welcome to MTPC’s Town Hall Meeting, for an
opportunity to hear from and speak with some of our state’s leading
transgender activists LGB allies. Each year MTPC holds this meeting to
inform the community about the work of MTPC and the state of
transgender rights in Massachusetts and at the Federal level. This
year’s keynote speaker is Representative Carl Sciortino, who will be
speaking about the pending Massachusetts legislation HB 1722, “An Act
Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes”.

MTPC will also be providing training and information on how to reach out
to and educate legislators about HB 1722 and the issues transgender
people face in Massachusetts. There will be presentations about MTPC’s
activities, followed by time for feedback and commentary. MTPC
particularly encourages those who want to learn more about
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and/or HB 1722 to
attend the Town Hall Meeting.

Boston’s transgender and LGB community extends a warm welcome to all
who would like to attend this important event to memorialize our dead
and underscore the seriousness of the suffering of our communities.
No persons should be subjected to violence simply because of their
gender identity or expression. No persons should be denied the basic
rights that enable their safety and security. Please join with us on
this day to remember our dead, whatever the cause of their departure.

Co-sponsors of Boston’s Transgender Day of Remembrance include TransCend
of Cambridge Cares About AIDS, Keshet, BAGLY, GLSEN Boston, and MTPC.

For the latest list of sponsors and details about the day’s events,
please visit http://www.masstpc.org/dor

Event Background:
Eight years ago at this time, Boston’s LGBT community recoiled in
horror at the discovery of the latest victim of transphobic violence.
Rita Hester, a popular figure in the local rock `n roll scene, who
also happened to be a transsexual, had been found brutally stabbed to
death in her Brighton apartment. Like so many killings of gay and
transgender persons, the victim was subjected to enough brutality to
kill her many times over.

A local community of queer activists, rockers, family, friends and
allies – over 250 of them – came together and held a speak-out and
candlelight vigil in Rita’s honor, forming a human stream of light
winding its way through Rita’s old Brighton stomping grounds. One
year later, a memorial vigil was held in San Francisco; the following
year Boston and a few other cities joined in, and this year hundreds
of observances will be held in dozens of countries.

Boston’s transgender community remembers Chanelle Pickett, Debra
Forte, Monique Thomas, and Rita Hester, all of whom were more recent
local transgender victims of unusually violent and hateful murders.
Before these, there were many more, mostly uncounted and unnoticed by
all but their friends and family.

These events are free, open to everyone, and there will be limited
video/photo policy will be in place. For more information visit
www.masstpc.org. If your organization would like to become a sponsor
of TDOR or you would like to volunteer helping to organize the event
contact Nancy at nnangeroni@masstpc.org. If your organization would
like to sponsor the Town Hall meeting or you are member of the press
contact Gunner gscott@masstpc.org

ENDA – Baldwin Amendment, will you please call?

Rebecca — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:45:28 +0000

Mon/Tues call you congressional rep ask them to SUPPORT THE BALDWIN AMENDMENT TO ENDA (H.R. 3685)

The Vote will be this Wednesday.

This is our last effort to include gender identity in ENDA. As of now, it looks like there will be a vote on the Amendment and then on the overall ENDA bill next Wednesday, October 24. Please call your congressional legislator and ask them if they are supporting HR 3685 and if they will support the Baldwin amendment.

We need a big push on Monday and Tuesday!

We need to convey a specific, very targeted message that we want our Congressional representatives to vote YES on the Baldwin Amendment to put gender identity back into ENDA.

You can call your Representative right now at 202-224-3121, even if you have already called him/her already about this issue. Tell him/her to support the Baldwin Amendment to H.R. 3685.

You can learn more about House Bill 3685 at:

The U.S. Government via Thomas’s Register HERE.
GovTrack.us. H.R. 3685–110th Congress (2007): Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007, GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) HERE
The Baldwin announcement is at Representative Baldwin’s press release at her site here.

Call 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your representative. You can find your Congress Contact at this link at the United States House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

If your in Massachusetts, please click on over to the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition to let them know you called and what the outcome was. This will help them report in how Massachusetts is voting. Click to MTPC and their report HERE.

(notice courtesy of Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition )

Representative Tammy Baldwin – Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize (ENDA Statement)

Rebecca — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:15:15 +0000

October 11, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release -Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin
Wisconsin’s Second District

Statement on ENDA

“Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize”

I have always been a strong supporter of guaranteeing full civil rights for all in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
community. My work on this issue will continue until these protections become law.

I strongly support H.R. 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007. For many years, I have worked closely and tirelessly with people in the LGBT community and our allies to build support for this important legislation. I have personally spoken with well over one hundred Congressional colleagues, explaining the importance of this particular bill, listening to their concerns, and answering their questions. As a result of all of our work, and that of Congressional supporters, 171 Members of Congress have co-sponsored thelegislation, authored by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), which protects not only gays, lesbians and bisexuals, but also provides equally strong prohibitions against discrimination based on gender identity.

Last weekend, Speaker Pelosi, in remarks before the Human RightsCampaign National Dinner, said: “I strongly believe that transgender individuals deserve the same rights and the same protections as any other Americans and will work to see that ENDA also protects their rights.” I share her sentiments.

Soon, I expect the House Committee on Education and Labor to consider this issue. It is my hope that the Committee will take up H.R. 2015 and pass it. I further hope for, and continue to work towards, passage of legislation by the full House, banning employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

All of the Democratic leaders involved in this discussion are committed to employment non-discrimination protections for
transgender Americans. We share a common goal, but disagree over process and strategy. Yet these procedural and strategic decisions are important because they affect the ultimate question of how and when we can most quickly pass protections that include transgender people. This is how a democracy works.

I am under no illusions about the challenges of achieving our goal. But, the quest for advancement of civil rights in our nation has never been easy. It is precisely because of the discrimination these groups experience that this legislation is needed.

As is the case with all legislation, there is no guarantee of success. Everyone pressing for this legislation knows that. We know that opponents of workplace protections may offer any number of amendments designed to derail the bill, including, perhaps, an effort to remove protections based upon gender identity. I believe we must boldly face these challenges.

Perhaps some of these hostile efforts will be successful. That should not deter our work. We must bring the strongest possible bill to the floor of the House for a vote. If our adversaries wish to erode protections in the bill, we must be prepared to face that challenge and make our case.

However, I believe it is a mistake to concede defeat on any issue, before our opponents even raise it.

In recent weeks there have been many efforts which have had the effect of distracting allies from the work at hand.

The House leadership afforded supporters of the fully inclusive bill two weeks to demonstrate that sufficient support exists to withstand worst-case scenario assaults on the bill. My work whipping Members on passage of a fully inclusive bill continues. I hope that the effort will culminate in sufficient evidence that the votes exist to withstand attacks and pass a fully inclusive bill.

Toward that end, I encourage all advocates to focus their efforts on building Congressional support for H.R. 2015. There will be ample time to consider distracting issues later. For now, let us keep our eyes on the prize.

# # #

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin
Wisconsin’s Second District
2446 Rayburn H.O.B. 10 E. Doty St.
#405 400 E. Grand Ave. #402
Washington, DC 20515 Madison , WI
53703 Beloit , WI 53511

Phone: 202-225-2906
Phone: 608-258-9800
Phone: 608-362-2800

Contact:
Jerilyn Goodman
608-251-8737
Cell: 608-347-6557
jerilyn.goodman@mail.house.gov

ENDA – Barney Frank backs down, HRC commits, time bought

Rebecca — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:05:37 +0000

In late breaking news on ENDA, Beck’s Cafe has just learned, via an email from MTPC cancelling a planned vigil at Barney Frank’s office regarding ENDA, that Barney Frank will not split ENDA and it is going to include both sexual orientation and gender identity as the original bill was designed. As many of our coffee swilling readers will remember from our post, “Transgender Rights Hailstorm“, Barney Frank had stated he was going to remove support for transgender rights from ENDA (see his news release on that topic by visiting his site HERE). But now, Barney Frank is going to support the full bill and is not going split ENDA and is going to be including both sexual orientation and gender identity.

Barney Frank’s change of heart is a great thing to see and Beck’s Cafe is brewing a fresh pot up for him!

Also, The Human Rights Campaign, which had issued this public response regarding the removal of the transgender piece of ENDA, has now signed onto a petition publicly stating that:

Our organizations support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act as introduced (H.R. 2015). Although we believe that the bill’s sponsor, Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), and the House Democratic Leadership have a sincere desire to protect the LGBT community from discrimination, we believe the process and strategy that has been adopted is a mistake. That mistake is compounded by moving forward with a markup tomorrow.

You can read the HRC statement by visiting their site at this link HERE.

Finally, according to a National Center for Transgender Eqality (NCTE) ENDA email update statement, on 10/1/08 around 8PM EST by Mara Keisling and a phone update from NJ Congressman Russ Holt (as posted at Pam’s House Blend), it appears time has been bought on the side of proponents of ENDA to get congress and other allies on board. The meeting on the bill for Tuesday October 2nd, 2007, has been postponed until the end of October.

Talk about a fast changing bill! But everyone reading Beck’s Cafe’s coverage and who had a chance to call or write your congressmen and women all were a part of this small victory. So THANK YOU!! There is a much work to be done in the next few weeks!

(For past coverage of ENDA at Beck’s Cafe, please visit these stories, “Enda – Time to make some phone calls“, “Continued Coverage on ENDA – Sean Hannity, ADA and James Byrd“, “Continued Coverage on ENDA – Robyn’s Story“, “Petition Drive to Support a Complete END A“, “Transgender Rights Hail Storm“ )

ENDA – Time to make some phone calls

Rebecca — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:37:06 +0000

Last night a friend and I were talking on the phone about ENDA. Realizing we might be among those at risk we wondered if GLAD was going to weigh in on this issue? It was encouraging to see that they too felt that removal of support for the transgender in ENDA was wrong…..It was nice getting this in my email late today….

Dear Rebecca,
GLAD is concerned about a recent step taken by Congressional leaders that threatens to undermine passage of a full and trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

The LGBT movement has been unified in its commitment to an inclusive ENDA that outlaws workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This recent effort to put forth a version of the bill excluding gender identity is out of touch with what the community has clearly stated it supports. We need your help today to ensure that no member of our community is left behind. Contact your Representative, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at 202-224-3121 and let them know that you oppose legislation that is not fully inclusive.

Our Massachusetts supporters have a unique opportunity to impact the course of this legislation by contacting the bill’s sponsor, Representative Barney Frank. Urge Representative Frank and Speaker Pelosi to let Congress vote on the original version of ENDA, HR 2015, the version that was asked for, worked on, and supported by the community.

We at GLAD know that a strong and successful movement depends on unity and mutual support. We don’t compromise on essential civil rights.

Thank you for doing your part to ensure equal protections for all Americans,

Lee Swislow Executive Director

gladlaw@glad.org Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is New England’s leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression. Since 1978, through impact litigation and public education, GLAD has worked to create a better world for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender individuals and people living with HIV. To learn more about GLAD and be added to our e-mail list, please visit our website. To help GLAD fund the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, please make a donation today – visit our Donation Page at www.glad.org/Donate_to_GLAD. If you would like to be removed from our email list please send a message from the address where you received this message to unsubscribe@glad.org. Thank you for getting involved and for supporting GLAD.

We downed an espresso shot then called Pelosi’s office and got a recording so we could register what we at Beck’s Cafe felt about the removal of transgender protections from ENDA. It was surprising they had space to record what we wanted to say. We then rang up our congressman, Ed Markey, and found out he was indeed supporting ENDA!! How nice We asked would he pretty please call up Mr. Frank and ask that he, perhaps, change his mind? You have to wonder how fruitful any of this effort is, but, who knows. Still the whole course of events is disappointing in the extreme.

Ms. Pelosi’s part in all this is especially troubling since we had written how helpful she had been to the transgender community. Please see our previous article on her at Beck’s Cafe, entitled, “Nancy Pelosi, what to expect for the transgender“.

(For past coverage of ENDA at Beck’s Cafe, please visit these stories, “Continued Coverage on ENDA – Sean Hannity, ADA and James Byrd“, “Continued Coverage on ENDA – Robyn’s Story“, “Petition Drive to Support a Complete END A“, “Transgender Rights Hail Storm“ )