On Thursday, April 29th, a team of Transgender activists and allies met with representatives of the Kerry Campaign's GLBT Outreach as well as Eric Stern, DNC Director of GLBT Outreach.
It was the very first time a meeting between a group representing the interests of Transgender Americans and the leadership of a major American political party and their Presidential nominee's campaign staff has ever taken place.
Our team consisted of some of the finest political minds of the Transgender Community and our allies, the majority of whom are OutForDemocracy-Transgender members, including:
1. Rebecca Juro, OFD-TG Moderator, representing Out For Democracy -
Transgender.
2. David Mariner, OFD-TG Moderator, representing Out For Democracy
3. Chris Cooper, OFD-TG Moderator, representing Out For Democracy
4. Stephanie Heck, OFD-TG Member, representing the Transgender Americans
Veterans Association.
5. Barbra Casbar, OFD-TG Member, representing the Stonewall Democrats
6. Michael Woodward, OFD-TG Member, FTM activist.
7. Phyllis Randolph Frye, noted TG lawyer and legal expert.
8. Vanessa Edwards Foster, OFD-TG Member, representing the National Transgender Advocacy
Coalition.
9. Ethan St. Pierre, OFD-TG member, hate crimes expert.
10. Mara Keisling, legislative expert.
11. Katrina Rose, OFD-TG member, legal expert.
I'm pleased to be able to report that we made some significant inroads in increasing the level of inclusion and support of Transgender Americans and our issues within the Democratic Party.
For some of the results and much more, please read on...
We'll be working with Eric Stern to create an informational page on Transgender issues for inclusion on the DNC website.
We have three, possibly as many as five, transgender-identified delegates going to the Democratic National Convention in July, including OFD-TG members Barbra Casbar and Monica Helms, and they will be working with the DNC and other allies within the Party to gain support for the inclusion of gender identity and expression civil rights protections in the Party platform during the convention.
Mara Keisling has been appointed to the LGBT Steering Committee, and we look forward to positive progress from her work there.
In addition, we will continue working to firm up and increase support for Transgender Americans and the issues that impact our lives among supportive Democratic legislators and Party members at all levels of government. We'll continue to build on the progress we've made in gaining respect, support, and acknowledgement of Transgender Americans as a valid minority constituency in our country's political system.
Our mission at Out For Democracy - Transgender is to actively support, endorse, and work for Democratic Party candidates at all levels of government who are supportive and inclusive of Transgender Americans and our fair and equal treatment as American citizens.
We believe that it's really not civil rights unless and until all civilians have them.
We believe that the way to true American equality is by working with and within the Democratic Party.
If you believe in these basic American ideals and would like to add your voice and your efforts in helping to work toward them, we'd like you to join us. Membership is open to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other irrelevant consideration that might divide us politically in the eyes of some: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ofd-transgender/
This meeting, the progress we've made and will continue to make together mark the beginning of a new era of acceptance and understanding of Transgender Americans by our country's citizens and government, and light the way toward a future when this community will no longer be seen by some as a political liability, but rather as an essential part of the civil rights platform of any political candidate or elected official who truly believes that equality under the law is the birthright of each and every American citizen.
We look forward to working with the Democratic Party leadership and with all of you, for the betterment of our country and of the lives and each and every one of us.
Rebecca Juro
Moderator / Co-Founder
Out For Democracy - Transgender
rebecca_juro@softhome.net
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ofd-transgender/
Posted by beckygrrl at May 4, 2004 02:11 PM
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Summer Blog Book Club
Join Us: Go to Democracy For America Website, 'Commons' ( click Organize ) The zip code I used is 10014
By Wednesday, May 12th, we will have democratically selected a book. We will read the book by Sunday, June 6th, 2004. That evening, at 7:15, we will share our views and thoughts on the chosen book. We will either be on the DFA blog ( and hopefully get a thread ) or we will be on a DFA Forum.
Please go to 'Commons' to suggest a book or vote on a book! ( I'm ChrisNYC on the blog)
Books under consideration so far:
1)American Dynasty: the Bushes, by Kevin Phillips
2)Exception to the Rulers, by Amy Goodman
3)What Liberal Media, by Eric Alterman.
*******DFA Blogger Review***********
I'm almost finished with it. It's not just the media but all kinds of stuff about the right wing. It's like Franken's book but much more in depth. Not hard to read - I read most of it over one long weekend. It's helping me appreciate exactly what Gov. Dean is doing right now in his media appearances - staying very much on message, hitting hard - and his goals for DFA - long range expansion of progressive influence in U.S. politics to counter the right wing.
4)Winning Back America, by Howard Dean
5) Conscience of a Liberal, By Paul Wellstone
6) Ghost Wars, by Steve Coll
******DFA Blogger Review*****
The whole history of how we got into this mess.
click my name to get to Democracy for America website
