Discrimination against people who are
transgendered and discrimination based on sexual orientation
spring from the same thing: intolerance for people who don't
conform to stereotypes about men and women. We all do things
men and women aren't "supposed" to do, and some suffer abuse
from this non-conformity.
Two of the nation's greatest leaders on
transgender legal issues -- Paisley Currah and Shannon Minter
-- have written a guide to dealing
with the issues posed by gender identity discrimination.
The guide shares the experiences of many trans activists
around the country in actually getting policies passed.
Recent experience suggests that attacking
gender identity and sexual orientation together in legislation
can be a successful strategy as well. In the last couple
of years, the states of Rhode Island and New Mexico; the
cities of Louisville; Dallas; Allentown, PA; Decatur, IL;
Salem, OR; Tacoma, WA; as well as Erie County, PA; Multnomah
County, OR; Suffolk County, NY; and others have all done
it.
Debates about whether gender identity and sexual orientation
are aspects of the same thing are endless. Nevertheless,
it's clear prejudice against gay people and transgender
people have the same roots. That, above all, is why it makes
sense to attach them together.
Many of the issues you'll have to deal
with when you propose policies against gender identity discrimination
are the same as those you have to deal with when you propose
policies against sexual orientation discrimination. You
need to do the same research, and you face pretty much the
same organizing challenges. The arguments about why there
should be policies against discrimination are much the same.
You'll be met with many of the same tired old arguments
about why the town or business can't or shouldn't have a
policy.
But policies against gender identity discrimination raise
some of their own distinct issues as well. Some of the concerns
about policies protecting transgender people that you will
have to deal with are unique. Gender identity discrimination
also poses unique issues in policy writing.
>> Next: 7. Writing Policies
-- Basic Structure
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