From a Maryland all-gay-marriage-all-the-time page:
Well, I have a better idea.
Send this text to Maryland senators:
Dear Senator,
As your constituent, I’m calling on you to oppose The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (SB116). Please understand that I am not homophobic and I actually do believe that same-sex couples should eventually enjoy the right to marry.
However, in 2001 when the Maryland Legislature enacted a gay rights law that did not protect transgender people gay activists in Maryland promised transgender people that they would work to ensure that Maryland would enact legislation to ensure that transgender people have the same ability to compete for employment based on their qualifications that gays, lesbians an bisexuals were given.
Thus far, those promises have proven to be empty.
Stand on the right side of history by not rewarding political trickery and deception with an additional legislative victory that will simply ensure that there is no political will to address anti-transgender discrimination in Maryland for another decade.
Gays and lesbians WANT marriage. Trans people NEED to be able to live and work without fear.
Support the passage of transgender equality in this legislative session before the matter of same-sex marriage is addressed in any fashion.
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.
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To be quite candid, is integrity not what transgender people seek? The wholeness, the honesty of our existence regardless of how this may affect or appear to others not so conflicted?
If our aim in life is to integrate our inner and outer and recover our true sense of self, should we not follow our heart and spirit and take the side of a true moral imperative.
The Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act provide for NO protection in respect to “public accommodations” . This means GIADA, if passed still relegates transgender Marylanders to second class citizens, UNEQUAL to race, creed, sexual orientation in the eyes of the law.
Are you willing to sell our souls for the fodder of Gay Marriage?
Should we support a less than fully protective GIADA?
If you give up the moral high ground.. why should others care whether YOU get equality or not? You’ve just shown that you don’t really care about “equality” at all, just “what’s in it for me”.
GLB inc has shot themselves in the foot by excluding trans people. They’ve made it harder for themselves in the long term. Let’s not do the same, huh?
Besides which – it would be wrong.
We all know that the Gender Discrimination bill will be traded away to get some crucial additional votes for same-sex marriage. As it was in New Hampshire and elsewhere. There have been plenty of signs and portents., and the temptation to fight against rights for GLBs in return is very strong. We must resist that, not just because I think it would be counter-productive – for I may be wrong there – but because it’s not right.
You don’t think that a few e-mails / faxes like this one might not prompt at least one senator – or maybe two or maybe three or more – to ask around as to why Free State Just Us, er…, ‘Equality’ Maryland isn’t really doing anything to promote the trans bill that they say that they’re promoting once it becomes evident that 2011 is 2001: The Gay Marriage Generation?
And you don’t think that a senator – or maybe two or maybe three or more – so asking around, perhaps very publicly, might ultimately be to our benefit in terms of the historical record given that we know what’s ultimately going to happen?
I know what they’re going to do, and anyone with any brain cells at all can tell just from the miniscule amount of coverage of Maryland non-gay-marriage stuff. I may not be able to prevent it from happening – but I can have a major effect on whether or not the neo-Liz Seatons, the neo-Cathy Brennans and the neo-Shannon Averys manage to get away with it the way the first generation did with the gay-only rights law in 1999-2001.
Oh by all means let them know. Not just senators, MSM, blogs, the works, just as I’ve been doing about the same situation in NH. Never let them forget it or sweep it under the carpet. PUBLICISE what’s happening. Just don’t provide ammunition to anti-equality groups while doing it – let those who are making it All LGB do that to themselves.
What moral high ground? It’s about legislative priorities, not about “what’s in it for me”. There are people who lose their ability to support their families. Putting marriage equality first is immoral. So would rolling over and letting this happen without a word….
gonna say it right here , right now, this is not productive. We need to come from a place of abundance. The haters don’t give a rats ass about what the rationale is for objecting to the marriage act – its just one more red flag to them to d…eny people a human right. We need to channel our anger with “gayInc” differently – yes gayInc is classist , racist and a lot of crap for Trans people BUT as oppressed people WE must resist the urge to attack each other. seriously and besides so many of us are BOTH – its a rocky marriage – but this kind of fighting is NOT productive. it just isn’t. in my opinion , i understand the anger i truly do. We are one family though… no matter where on the Rainbow spectrum we fall. the vitriol is too shrill. the nuances are lost on the politicians. Together we are stronger. I love you all ! You ALL are my family. – sincerely Genderqueer Riff Raff