First let me say that I do not get the LOGO Channel but I have read the comments and looked at the video clips at the Human Rights Campaign web-site along with comments on trans blogs. I think it was great that the candidates sat down and talked about gay issues; I think that was a first. However; I have some issues with one of the organizers of the forum, the HRC.
We were (The Trans-community) told that there was going to be one question for each of the candidates that cover trans-issues. There was only one question asked about trans-issues and they were asked if the would fire an employee who transitioned on the job. Now that was a real thought provoking in-depth question (Sic), of course they answered no. They did ask good questions that affect the trans-community but they were phrased to cover just Gays and Lesbians. An example is that they asked about health care for same sex-couples but not about coverage for trans-individuals, there are very few companies that cover transsexuals most policies have explicit exclusion for transsexuals. Mine does have an explicit exclusion for transsexuals and that is forcing me to buy my hormones overseas due the extremely high prices for hormones if you try to buy them at a pharmacy without insurance.
Some of the important question affecting the trans-community that they could have asked are:
The Real ID Act – It will require the gender to match what is one your birth certificate. As a result when you try and get a job your name will be female but your driver’s license will say male. How many jobs do you think you would get if you looked like a woman but had a “M” on the driver’s license? Since the standard of medical care requires you to live for at least one full year in your true gender you will be virtually unemployable.
Social Security – The same issue. If you fill out your employment application as female the Social Security Administration will actually send a letter to your employer telling them of the discrepancy; in other words outing you to your employer.
Passports – Ditto
Birth Certificate – Some states do not allow them to be changed at all, some states draw a line through the old gender and write in the new gender and some like Connecticut will issue a new birth certificate and seal the old one.
I would have liked to hear their thoughts on these questions, but realistically I do not think any of the candidates would have a clue what these questions are about. I think ore than the one question should have been asked; it was a joke to call the forum a GLBT forum. Once again the “T” at the end was a “t".
I've yet to catch the entire show. I am glad that the candidates sat down and actually answered the questions. I do agree that the T in GLBT was virtually ignored.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was horrible.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the HRC is really an organization that focuses on upper middle class and above white male homosexuals. Trans, Lesbians, lower socioeconomic level gay men, ethnic minorities, etc. are all an afterthought.
The forum seemed to address the same topic over and over. Gay marriage. Other topics that effect the community were barely touched if touched at all. And it had been advertised as addressing questions sent in by viewers. I think we counted two questions from viewers.
I appreciate that the candiates participated but overall I learned nothing new about them.
In the end what I got was confirmation that HRC and LOGO are both run primarily by sycophants and moneyed gay men.