At least in Detroit, which recently banned discrimination on the basis of gender identity. This comes a few months after Michigan banned discrimination against the transgendered for all state employees.
As I was reading this, I began thinking about a recent podcast of the Talking Tranny Show. In this podcast Susan discussed the best way to end discrimination of the transgendered. Whether it was by first advancing laws to end discrimination, or by winning the hearts and minds of people. In the end she concluded that, while both are important, winning the hearts and minds of people is more important and where we should focus our efforts first. She says the best way to do that is to come out, be yourself, and give people the opportunity to know a transgendered soul personally, rather than through the lens of Jerry Springer.
Detroit’s recent ban on discrimination against transgendered seems to echo another trend – the love for others starts at home. Locally.
I think it will be a long time before we see federal laws enacted to protect the transgender community. Yet in spite of that, there is growing momentum at the local and state level to provide protection for basic human rights – for all it’s citizens.
I live in hope that love for one another will win over fear and hate. That as we show ourselves for who we are – normal, hardworking, caring people – others will judge us by the content of our character, not the color of our lip gloss.
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