Can't have it for now? Prez. O'bummer continues the norm everytime we, the LGBTQ community, allow that statement to go unnoticed for what it is; the continuation of heterosexual supremacy. As long as we are always grouped seperatly from "straights" and allow for LGBTQ instead of SLGBTQ then we give permission.

BULLSHIT. I don't want to be "acknowledged." I want equality. STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR THIS BIGOT!

If you think being acknowledged at a fundraising dinner is a step forward, you truly have low self esteem. I hear echoes of Sally Field... "He likes me... He really likes me!"

Obama has not invited any of us over for coffee. Obama hasn't done a damn thing except talk. We don't need talk. We need equality. Duwanna Johnson didn't need talk. She needed equality.

If middle schools kids acknowledge and support transgender people, they're far in advance of the most powerful man in the world. End the bullshit, end the excuses. We demand the President and Congress act now: full civil equality in all 50 states now!

Dyssonance,
Great statement on your site. Very complicated.

Becky,
You should know better.

The first time I came out was in 1978.
The first time I heard the word TRANSGENDER at the DC Mall was from Phil Donahue who took the stage at the GLB (Less T) Maech, in 1993.
The first time I heard the word Transgender in a major poltical speech was at the Democrat Convention when E. Birch said it in 2006.

Last night, I heard President Obama say it once.

So, I do not feel good about being recognized once and in passing, like recognizing a dear fly buzzing around your head. I do not even feel that it is an accomplishment. I do feel that all those times I heard it, it meant something, but without the equality and protections that should be ours over all those years, the mention of it and a dime might buy you a cup of coffee in Dupont Circle, but no where else in America.

I consider Obama's single mention of Transgender, permission from the President to all gays, lesbians, cispeople and expecially HRC and politicians in DC, to continue to shelve us as equal participants in the fight for our rights and equality. It once again says to all those who say "wait your turn" to us, or throw the hated word "increntalism" out there, that it is OK and sanctioned by the Office of the Presidency and his speech writing staff.

The FEAR of our President to say Transgender along with Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual is not an act of laziness on his part. It is a deliberate omission that has been accepted, policed by speechwriters and encouraged by people within the GLBT movement who are willing to accept second class citzenship for people like me, within our movement and that they can continue to accept the deaths of our Transgender people in the streets, the suffering of their families and the discrimination that if any one of them had to endure, they would find the cause and source of deep depression and personal outrage.

To say that it is any way acceptable is to join the ranks of conformists who are willing to negotiate away our basic human rights. To agree with our inequality based upon our gender expression, to leave it out of the fight and to
deny it in this fight for equality alongside with GLB people and as GLB people also, is to agree to distinguish and single us out as not being worthy of the same rights. It denies common sense and when Obama, Julian Bond and other leaders in the civil rights movement refuse to recognize Transgender people equally as needing human rights with GLB people, then it sends the wrong message, it denies their spiritual belief and says they are willing to a draw line in the sand where some Americans dare not cross over or where they dare not speak to.

It is especially wrong when the President writes us out of the very movement that we started 40 years ago. It's inexcusable.

Democrats who are political opportunists, like Obama, thrive by watching you beg for legislation. They love the feeling of a bouncer at the velvet rope.

Obama knows the right buzz words to drop, Stonewall, LGBT, gender identity, Easter Egg Roll (yes that was in there). But he still sees your equality in his hands, overall a condescending, patience children, we're not there yet approach. The man has trouble speaking of freedom, but can speak on and on of fairness and equality.

Here's a transcript of the speech
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/10/obama_human_rights_campaign_sp.html

>the HRC Dinner is not Lenin's Mausoleum

Hilarious Jessica!

As you've pointed out in his cliche word count, it was as if he used a "GLBT for Dummies" book to write the speech.

He can easily discuss and integrate the gay, lesbian, trans topic in a wide array of forums and settings. But he does it at HRC because he sees us as HRC.
An interest group...a group first...individuals second.

"Those who refuse to say transgender and transsexual have enabled him and the HRC and every other organization and all those who simply repudiate our claims to being mis-sexed, which enable those who are transphobic to hurt us, physically, emotionally, in our ability to earn a living--not because of our relationships--but who we are."

RIGHT ON!!!!!

And where is this all going you might ask? Let me tell you.

I happen to be a plumber and the old saying is that fecal matter flows downhill and you get paid on Fridays. Well, the one real constant in that is that fecal matter does flow downhill and I guess, so does being Transgender now days.

Our community is being forced into a situation in the future, when we will have to face the fact that the vast majority of it, which used to be referred to as "gender diverse" and now has been conscripted into the terms pre or post op, transsexual or suitably passable, will be left behind and sacrificed specifically so that the bathroom issue can be ignored and at least some people can go on with their lives.

The fecal matter that no one really wants to discuss in this or any other blog, post or relevant discussion is, what do we do with those women who don't look like women and never will? We know that there is no such thing as a crossdressing woman, but what about those crossdressing men? How do we "real" transgender people survive as long as those less than real transgender people still need to go to the bathroom?

Well, we are being taught all about it by HRC and President Obama aren't we. We are craftfully being guided into the political situation of being redefined, sifted through carefully and then accepted based on the most prevalent standards of bathroom etiquete. This is being done by first making us gay or lesbian look-a-likes, then lumping us into the same sexual terminologies and distinctions that are acceptable and then turning us against each other for the purpose of creating enough separatism within our own community. In other words, they are killing the heart of our gender diverse community and teaching us that incrementalism isn't just a good thing, it's a great thing to consider when your accepting passes for people to use the rest room also.

The day is coming when those who are compromising for our community now will have to face our community and tell all of us that if your passable, you are on HRT, you live full time, or you have undergone some form of permanent physical surgery to change your sex, then you and only you are considered transgender and can use a public rest room, because if they can compromise our being able to get a job in a church or even becoming members of the church of our choice, then they sure should be able to distinguish our acceptability about going to use a bathroom also.

It's not funny that those who seem to be compromising for us now, and accept HRC and Obama's incremental approach, will probably be the first to get their passes to use the rest room of their choice. You can tell who those people are when you talk to them and they shake their head and say they fear having to confront the issue because it will be used by the inept and bigoted right wing to keep all of us from being equal. They are also the ones who are willing to make the compromises when it comes to DMV markers and such as well. "Institutionalized Transphobia?" You bet it is and they are teaching us how to do it and become experts in it every day.

As for me, I have no dog in this fight about bathrooms or what that issue makes Transpeople do or not do. It makes very little difference how I am dressed or look when I go into either rest room. I just open the door and shout, I'm the plumber. Finish your business and everyone out now!! Kind of ironic isn't it? I'm transgender and I have people begging me to help them with their bathroom issues. I think I'll try placing a bid on the next job that comes up at the White House.

Obama is still using us as a political pawn. He needs to listen to Julian Bond. Meaning all minorities need their rights and suport from both those who have won then and those who have not because we are all part of "We the people"

"Frankly, the position you take I cannot see as anything other than utterly contradictory though I do look forward to your use of transgender and transsexual in the manner you apparently approve of at the top of your comment."

The comment regarding "how do we real Transgender people" was tongue in cheek. I am sorry for being vague about that.

Other than that, I still do look at Transgender as including all gender diverse peoples who wish to identify that way. I do not make a distinction between Transgender and Transsexual and I never will although technically I consider myself as both, I am a TS who prefers to keep it all together, at least until we have some kind of equal rights in the workplace and protections.

Why, you may ask? Because I realize that only a transgender person (pick any one kind you like)truly understands what another transgender person or a transsexual person has to go through and out of all the people on the face of this earth, they are able to support and defend it the most and need the least eduation about what it is all about. Better friends don't exist in a political battle, so why agree that they should be separated by definitions imposed that suggest special rights for one or the other. WE are all in this together and have been for many years until the internet and enough post op people were able to get together to start yelling about our differences as transgender persons instead of our similarites.

I refuse to leave any gender diverse or gender queer person behind by making the same distinctions that play into the hands of HRC and others. By making such distinctions, we are giving them every opportunity to slice us up like a piece of a pie and make distinctions in legislation that will leave people unprotected. If you can't see that happening now, then you will see if when it happens. In fact it already happened when they cut us from ENDA by trying to distinguish Transpeople from Gay and Lesbian people. I do not relish getting pushed into the same corner again by them using the differences between TS and TG and CD as their wedges.

Interesting enough, CNN had a special on the Jonestown survivors after the President's speech at HRC. Seems appropriate that people are still drinking the Kool-Aid today.

Monica,
They also had a piece on two Transgender youths and I was very aware that the CNN reporter questioning them made the point that changing a persons sex at such a young age, seemed very difficult.

I felt like reaching inside the TV and wringing his neck. It's the same old thing. The news hypes up Transgender Youth, then concentrates on the sex change instead of gender expression.

I thought of that young person in the news the other day in Atlanta who was not allowed back in school because he/she refused to stop dressing as too feminine. The honesty of that person was overwhelming for me when he/she stated that it wasn't the clothes being worn, it's simply that this is who I am. Accept me and give me the opportunity to be educted just like everyone else.
The clothes have nothing to do with my education.

I have been rather startled that this story has not shown up on Bilerico so far and his interview has not been shown. I also think that this points out the fact that today, unless a person wishes to change their sex and not just the way they express themselves in the opposite gender, then it's either to fetishistic to comment on or it's just not newsworthy enough because it does not involve any permanent or consequential change.

All that being said, the real reason why people need to hear some outward acceptance of T4ansgender people from the President other than a brief mention, is because we are equally aware that there is little time to do what ahs to be done before the Dems may lose thier majority in the House and Senate and we are faced with no possible action on the legislation. Even if Obama wins a second term, if they don't have the numbers they ahve now in both houses, he and we, might as well forget about any real changes.

We can build on legislation that passes tomorrow because into the future it's harder to roll back such legislation without looking like a bigot. If it doesn't get done between now and November 2010, then it stands little chance of ever getting done.

However, thinking the way that Becky is, it would seem that any talk, news, promotion or interviews being done about Trans people should be simply muted or at least filtered in sme way, until ENDA passes, and I find that hard to accept if not simply impossible.

I view this in one way and from past experiences. If you are transtioning in the workplace, the one thing that you want is to have the full support of the HR team where your working and a good and stong management policy from the boss. In the case of ENDA, the President is the boss because he has to sign the bill to make it law. If he is afraid to speak out about us or recognize us because it might make him come under fire, how does that reflect on the kind of support we are going to be getting when it becomes law or cases end up in the Justice Department? How much will that law be enforced by the EEOC if it's an unmentionable issue to the boss?

Push now, push later. Shout now, shout later. I suppose all of this is a matter of perspective. The girls I talked to Saturday night at 5th and K in DC do not have the luxury of a roof or a warm bed. They hope to make enough each night to eat and buy enough pain killer of some kind to make it through the next day. Even though I invited them to the march, I don't think one of them came. They have no expectation that anything will happen soon enough to do them a bit of good. They have a, “I will make my own way, now” agenda. I hope you understand.
Each of us has a bit more than they do. The more we have the easier it is to be accepting of an incremental road to change. When I am thirsty, I'll climb down a steep cliff to water., but, if I had a super large canteen I could wait for erosion to remove the obstacle.

And it angers you that you can't impose it on me--and others.

Your ideology is fading.

And now you understand why we are divided and will continue to be so. People like yourself continue to create rungs on the ladder that you climb at the expense of leaving others behind. Very similar to what HRC wanted to do to "Transgender people" in ENDA.

That makes it very difficult to take you seriously since your willing to do to some people in your own community, exactly what your fighting against someone else doing to you.

“We invented the damn "sport," at Compton and Stonewall.”

No, the gay transgender was at the forefront of Compton and Stonewall…first and foremost the queens who rioted were gay…transgender was incidental. Those protests didn’t result in a transgender movement (though it could have). What it did was start a gay movement. It was a bed that was made that the transgender must now lie in. Jessica is quite right: Transgender is always used in the context of sexual orientation.

“Most of the time the media never makes it past the first two letters of LGBT.”

That’s very true, and for good reason: the media (and the mainstream as well) do not differentiate between the G, the L, the B and certainly not the T. And why should they? Most of the trans activists are gay or lesbian…and heterosexual post ops are silenced, shouted down, and kept out of the debate altogether. Certainly the position of those of us who are heterosexual are never, ever mentioned by the GLBT, yet we are held captive, by association, to that same group.

“It's the same old thing. The news hypes up Transgender Youth, then concentrates on the sex change instead of gender expression.”

“I also think that this points out the fact that today, unless a person wishes to change their sex and not just the way they express themselves in the opposite gender, then it's either too fetishistic to comment on or it's just not newsworthy enough because it does not involve any permanent or consequential change.”

That’s very true and there is a reason for that: society has historically been able to wrap their arms around transsexualism and the need for GRS and a sex change; the birth certificate laws are on the books as proof of that. But “gender expression” is simply looked at by that same group as a bunch of gay men playing dress up.

“Some of us refuse to be dragged along for the carnival ride, despite all the insistence in the world that no one has a choice [but to belong to the GLBT community whether we want to or not].”

Indeed, many of us do. We refuse to other ourselves by prefixing our sex/gender and subscribe to the so-called community we are supposed to belong to for no other reason than just because. That fact is one that the trans activists simply do not understand or if they do, will not acknowledge. To us, it’s all about setting things right through GRS and then going on about our lives; we have no more in common with each other than we might have with the neighbor down the street. To the transgender, it’s about the GLBT...the community.

And that brings us full circle and back to the title of Rebecca’s post: “What Barack Obama really said about transgender rights.” He didn’t mention transgender rights in his speech because it wasn’t necessary. As Rebecca said, most people don’t get past gay and lesbian when discussing GLBT. The reason they don’t get past gay/lesbian is that to “most people”, there is no distinction; transgender is a gay issue to them. The trans activists have done an excellent job of instilling into the mainstream that transgender is not a gender issue but one of sexual orientation. The transgender should be pleased that the mainstream society that denies them the very rights they so desperately seek equates them with the gay/lesbian movement. After all, the activists have spent the past 40 years or so reinforcing that perspective. And, no doubt, will continue to do so. What is unfortunate for the transgender is that due to their success in convincing the mainstream they have some inherent and overwhelming common interest with the gay and lesbian movement, the gender issue that is supposed to be their root issue has been lost and now equated as a sexual orientation one. Thus, the mainstream doesn’t see a male-to-female transgender as female, but as a queer male.