Los Angeles Times columnist Christine Daniels, a transgendered woman whose own story has gotten a lot of attention this year, took Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others for leaving transgendered persons out of Employment Non-Discrimination Act [ENDA]. ENDA would make it illegal to fire or refuse to hire or promote anyone based simply on the employee's sexual orientation or gender identity.
Christine writes that the politicians "didn't know what hit them" when the transgender community picked itself up and fought back.
"On paper, Frank, an openly gay Democrat, seemed the right person to lead this game plan. But as September rolled on, surveys of House members showed that ENDA did not have the votes to pass if it protected transgender people, but it did if it just covered gays and lesbians. So Frank huddled with Pelosi and other Democratic leaders and decided to play Solomon with ENDA -- only with half the wisdom. On Sept. 26, Frank announced his plan to split ENDA into two bills -- one bill protecting sexual orientation, which would get introduced immediately to Congress, and another bill protecting gender identity, which Congress would get to somewhere down the line. Maybe in a year or two. Or six or seven...Big miscalculation. The strategy did not yield the usual we-got-ours run for safety. Lesbian, gay and bisexual activists stood alongside their trans sisters and brothers, and together we raised the roof. It was a beautiful noise, let me tell you.
Here is a LINK to the entire Op-Ed piece that ran in today's Los Angeles Times.