Thursday, July 07, 2011

One of the Drawbacks of a Community Organizer…

A good friend, classmate and colleague last day at work is tomorrow and I will miss working with her.

In the last year she has worked endlessly to pass the Gender Identity and Expression Non-Discrimination legislation and now that it has passed, she is moving on to a new job. I first met her at a meeting of the Anti-Discrimination Coalition back in 2006; Sally was an intern at the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, which was a member of the coalition. I was a member of the ADC because of being on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition. The following years our roles were switched, I was an intern at CWELF and she was an intern at Planned Parenthood which was also a member of the ADC. Then in 2010, Sally became the head of ctEquality, which was the re-branded ADC. Through her work and leadership and dedication, ctEquality lead the effort to successfully pass the legislation.

I suppose that it is one side effect of a good community organizer or your candidate gets elected or you pass the legislation or you organize the housing project… then you move on.
ctEQUALITY is closing up shop. But lots of CT organizations need your support.

Dear Diana,

ctEQUALITY's goal in 2011 was to ensure that HB 6599: An Act Concerning Discrimination become law. Thanks to your incredible help and support, we did just that. In October 2011, Connecticut will be the 15th state to include gender identity and gender expression in our non-discrimination law. Now that we've reached this important goal, ctEQUALITY is closing up shop. But that doesn't mean there is not more work to do for equal rights and advocacy in our state. Please take a moment to review the agencies and organizations that supported equality in gender identity and gender expression for all CT residents so that you can subscribe to their e-mail lists, follow them on Twitter, become their fans on Facebook, and volunteer your time to support their work.

I want to take a moment to point out two organizations specifically. You may know that ctEQUALITY is a coalition of almost 40 organizations, agencies, and entities. However, we are lead by two organizations: CT Women's Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) and CT TransAdvocacy Coalition (CTAC). Both organizations need dedicated, pro-equality advocates like you as supporters and volunteers!

Founded in 1973, CWEALF is a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the personal and professional lives of women, girls and their families. Stay up-to-date with CWEALF's many projects, programs, and initiatives by visiting CWEALF.org, subscribing to their e-mail list, and liking their Facebook page.

CT TransAdvocacy Coalition (CTAC) has been working for freedom and empowerment in gender identity and expression since 1996. CTAC's mission is to improve, through education, political and social advocacy and activism, societal attitudes and the law in order to achieve equal rights for the trans and gender non-conforming individuals and communities. Also, CTAC is the creator and host of the annual Transgender Lives: The Intersection of Health and Law Conference (next year's conference will be on April 28, 2012). Please support CTAC's pioneering work for transgender civil rights by visiting TransAdvocacy.com and signing up for their e-mail list (upper right-hand corner of the homepage), getting involved in their many projects, and joining their group on Facebook.

Finally, because ctEQUALITY's work is done, I will be leaving my position as of Friday, July 8. So, if you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail Amy Miller, CWEALF Associate Director, at amiller@cwealf.org or call (860) 247-6090.

Thank you again for everything you did for HB 6599. We couldn't have done it without you.

Be well,
Sally

Coordinator and Lead Organizer

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