Reflections on a National Media Moment for Trans People (VIDEO)

[Shana A]

Mara Keisling
Founding Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality

Reflections on a National Media Moment for Trans People (VIDEO)
Posted: 04/20/2012 4:51 pm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mara-keisling/reflections-on-a-national_b_1437692.html

If you watch Sunday morning news shows, you may have noticed another unprecedented event for transgender people. Last Sunday MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry dedicated the second hour of her two-hour show solely to trans social and political issues, in a segment called, "Being Transgender in America." For one of the first times that I can remember, trans people got to outline to the public at least part of the trans political agenda for ourselves. From health care access, to barriers to updating identity documents, to talking about jail and detention reform and raising awareness of CeCe McDonald's story, we finally had a chance to bring trans issues to a national audience as trans people.

When I first started doing this work, despite giving a couple of soundbites for TV here and there, I never thought that I would do anything like the MHP Show. Even more remarkable was being around a table with other trans people like Kate Bornstein and N.Y.C. City Council Candidate Mel Wymore, both of whom, in very different ways, have really helped move our community forward. But that's only part of the reason that the segment was so groundbreaking.

[peky]

Very nice indeed, but I would have been even better if the issue of passing ENDA would have been addressed