What’s at Stake

While we gays are engaged in yet another episode of intramural bloodletting, the anti-gays are bringing their collective three brain cells together to stop any political advances we might make. I know that some folks have criticisms about the Human Rights Campaign’s work, but let’s move past that and not blow the best chance that we have ever had to pass workplace non-discrimination and hate crimes legislation. These bills will have an enormous impact on the lives of millions of LGBT people. And what makes these bills especially important is that both will contain transgender inclusive language, something that activists have fought for for years.

From Congressional Quarterly:

Now House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr. , a Michigan Democrat, is preparing to introduce a bill federalizing gay hate crimes and providing resources to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to target such cases. Its backers say a floor vote is expected this spring.

Gay rights activists also believe that the job- discrimination bill could be on the House floor as early as this summer. It will be introduced soon by Democrats Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Republicans Deborah Pryce of Ohio and Christopher Shays of Connecticut. Last month, the HRC announced that it had joined forces with the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to marshal stories of workplace bias as part of the bill’s lobbying push.

Democrat Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts will likely captain the effort behind both bills in the Senate.

The Human Rights Campaign also is looking to move legislation that would permit employees and companies to make pretax payments toward a same-sex domestic partner’s medical costs. That bill will be sponsored, in all likelihood, by Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington and two senators, Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York Republican Gordon H. Smith of Oregon.

The national LGBT civil rights organizations are coming together in an unprecedented way to move these bills forward. Groups not mentioned in the CQ article include the National Center for Transgender Equality, Log Cabin Republicans and National Stonewall Democrats. We are now in a position to be on the offensive on LGBT issues and not on the defense fighting bills like the Federal marriage Amendment.

It doesn’t matter if you like HRC or not, or if you are a Democrat or a Republican. What matters, to steal a talking point from the wingnuts, is the kids whose lives will be greatly impacted by what we do or don’t do. Instead of engaging in the dramatic, let’s do everything humanly possible to ensure that LBGT kids never again feel bad for being who they are. The passage of ENDA and hate crimes in and of itself won’t end the homophobia that effects LGBT kids, but it would be a great start.