No Rest(room) For (Trans)Gender Politics -- And Why It Should Matter To LGBT People
by: Autumn Sandeen
Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM EDT
http://pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=3831EE7213865D6B026308759B963893?diaryId=9917No Or Both Gender Male Female Restroom Sign - Gender Neutral Restroom Bathroom SignJac Wilder VerSteeg, the Palm Beach Post Deputy Editor of the Editorial Page, draws an interesting point out in the conclusion of his opinion piece entitled No rest for (trans)gender politics. In the piece, he's discussing the ballot measure to change to Gainsville, Florida's fully inclusive anti-discrimination laws (emphasis added):
The ballot measure, if passed, would force the city's anti-discrimination ordinance to mirror the state's civil rights law. Gender identity isn't in the state's law. Neither is civil rights protection based on sexual orientation. So that also would be lost. The opponents, Citizens for Good Public Policy, deny that's their goal. But the group is allied with Florida Family Action, which is fronted by the people who brought us Florida's constitutional ban on gay marriages.
It's obvious that Citizens for Good Public Policy has a wider agenda. There's a fix that would keep bathrooms safe while still preventing housing and employment discrimination against gay and transgender people.