An Interesting Read

There is hope for when Trump leaves office… the damage is not irrevocable it can be undone. What is going to be hard is to counter all the extreme right wing judges that put the Bible ahead of the Constitution, but we can overcome that roadblock.

How Tasmania is going from worst to best on transgender human rights
Reformed laws will improve lives, but there is still a long way to go. The recent debate has revealed how deeply prejudice still runs
The Guardian
By Martine Delaney
April 7, 2019

The Tasmanian parliament is poised to pass the best laws for transgender and gender-diverse people; not only in the nation, but on the planet.

Both houses have agreed to the reform, with the only remaining step being lower house assent to upper house amendments. Unless the Hodgman government plans to stymie the clear wishes of majorities in both houses of parliament, these laws will become fact in the very near future.

When the laws come into effect, they will allow a trans or gender diverse person to self-determine their gender identity and have this identity officially recognised on their birth certificate.

They will allow us the choice to take gender off our birth certificate altogether, or allow parents to do this in the case of newborns. They will give parents of intersex infants much longer to decide how they register their child’s birth sex, so they can access expert advice and support. They will protect us from hate speech and offensive language on the basis of gender identity, gender expression, intersex status and sex characteristics.

Wow!

And look where they came from…

The contrast with the laws Tasmania used to have couldn’t be starker.
[…]
That law was used to justify discrimination and violence against trans people.

The requirement trans people have surgery before their birth certificates could be amended (which this bill will repeal) was the most invasive and onerous in the nation.

The article then goes on to list how the change came about (And it is a lesson we could relearn here). The one I think of the three reasons is the best is,

Personal stories
The most important element of all was the personal – the stories of transgender and gender diverse people and our families.

It’s almost a cliche, but it’s true: the best way to change hearts and minds is to be honest with cisgender and heterosexual people about what the lives of LGBTI people are like, and to encourage them to walk in our shoes. Some of the most compelling stories of all were from mothers and fathers with teenage trans children. When historians come to write the history of LGBTI law reform in Tasmania, they will conclude the quietest voices spoke the loudest.

Our stories have power!

Not everyone can or wants to be in the public spotlight but you don’t need to be “out” to tell your story.

We have suffered a major setback under this administration but we made gains in the states, a number of states are adding protect not only for us but also for gays, lesbians, and bi.

Wikipedia list the states that passed laws protecting us since the current administration took power.

2017: Indiana: Sexual orientation protected in all employment       
2018: Kentucky: Gender identity protected in all employment
          Michigan: Gender identity protected in all employment
          Ohio: Gender identity protected in all employment
          Tennessee: Gender identity protected in all employment
          Michigan: Sexual orientation and gender identity protected in all employment]
          New Hampshire: Gender identity protected in all employment
          Pennsylvania: Sexual orientation and gender identity protected in all employment
          Ohio: Sexual orientation and gender identity protected in state employment
2019: Wisconsin: Sexual orientation and gender identity protected in state employment
          Kansas: Sexual orientation and gender identity protected in state employment