And yet, his words apparently do not speak for him.

You are so anti-HRC and anit- letting them take credit for any of the work they do that you gleefully announced they threw the transgender community under the bus when in actuality it was the House Democrats. Why didn't Joe take the time to add HRC's name to the weak, ineffective letter sent by outside groups who weren't in the room? Could it have been, as it turns out it was, that he was for 48 hours, in the room w/ Pelosi, Frank & Baldwin, fighting to keep the HRC-fought for GLB & T ENDA bill together (as he successfully did when they tried to separate them in May in the Hate Crimes bill that by the way ,when you were having a fit over letter-signers, passed the Senate by a bi-partisan vote of 60-39, but noting or acknowledging that wouldn't have helped your negative diatribes would it?), despite the House Democratic Caucus not having the votes to pass the ENDA bill as it was drafted? That you characterize, not surprisingly that HRC "betrayed" the trans community because the House Democrats, including the politically realistic and savvy gay Rep. Frank created a separate bill for the T in ENDA is a leap in logic beyond reason except for those already prejudiced against and jealous of HRC and any other group with clout and anything they have a hand in, like HRC having the second best record only to the AARP in getting their endorsed candidates elected, which, by the way, flipped the US House and the US Senate back to Democratic control and made possible the historic passage of the Hate Crimes Bill by both houses in 07 as well as even having the hearings on and movement on ANY ENDA bill. The House Democrats called the shots, no matter who fought for or said what. And they did so in the face of reality, not conjecture or hypothesis or misplaced anger by bitter outside factions railing away on blogs. Blame the real decision-makers, not the PAC that worked very very hard but in the end could not persuade them to ignore political reality and do otherwise. Then, after that? Move On. Spend time NOW and from hear on out focusing the community's efforts on passing BOTH ENDA bills, the GLB AND the T ones. That would be a more productive use of the internet and your power than conjecturing about the past, mis-characterizing, distorting, and supposing what happened in meetings you weren't in. We ALL need to now fight for the reality as it's existed since late afternoon Friday - there are two House ENDA bills, GLB and T. Let's band together to get press for both of their passage, not continue in a totally unsubtle attack by you yet again on HRC. They are not the be all and end all of the GLBT community, they don't purport to be, and the only way to contribute what you can is to fight for us every single day, not spend time and focus alleging horrific slights against you that simply did not occur. Use your powers for good, not slandering the past. O.K.?

Let's put our efforts into the Gender one first since it appears that's the hardest. Leave the other one till after we've passed it. After all, Transfolk may be a minority, but they suffer far more employment discrimination than gays do.

That OK with you John?

The HRC effectively GLB-only lobby has lost all credibility. Help transfolk first - then we can talk about the issue.

The HRC's "all help short of actually doing anything" means we should give them "all encouragement short of actual donations".

Enough already. This isn't the first time this has happened. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Hi all,

I just sent the letter below to HRC (hrc@hrc.org), and would encourage others with similar viewpoints to do so as well. If HRC would not collaborate with Congress for a trans-excluding ENDA, there might be hope after all. My apologies for cross-listing this posting to several Trans Yahoo groups.

To Whomever it May Concern:

I am a young transsexual woman living in Georgia. A recent university graduate, I have nevertheless had a difficult time finding work despite being more or less passable as a genetic woman. The news that ENDA as conceived has been killed is obviously very distressing. Despite the fact that many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals themselves present gender expressions that deviate from the norm, the removal of gender identity protection is somehow seen as an issue relating only to the transgendered. HRC's statement released online on 28 Sept 2007 seems to imply that Congress has pursued its present course of action without the support of the LGBT community and its representatives. Yet, HRC continues to consult with Congress on a trans-exclusive ENDA. How can you support legislation that does not cover your entire constituency? Only through the COMPLETE withdrawal of community support (HRC included!) for the bill in its present form can we hope to redress this gravest of errors. Gender-variant people make up a substantial portion of the LGBT community (I would actually argue practically EVERYONE but the butchest of the butch gay men and most pretty and feminine lesbians), and to support legislation that doesn't support us is shameful. It is NOT too late, HRC.

Signed,
Ophelia ***********