NCTE on Capitol Hill: Nancy Pelosi's Youth Roundtable
http://transgenderequality.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/ncte-on-capitol-hill-nancy-pelosi%E2%80%99s-youth-roundtable/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter (http://transgenderequality.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/ncte-on-capitol-hill-nancy-pelosi%E2%80%99s-youth-roundtable/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)
I was recently invited to attend a small youth roundtable hosted by U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to discuss the current debate over government spending. House Minority Leader Pelosi wanted to get a better understanding of what young people thought before returning to the debate.
Attendees felt that immigrant rights, student loan debt, and Medicaid were of great import. But the subject of employment for transgender people was also, of course, important. In a weak job market, transgender people, especially transgender people of color, are often among the hardest hit. I said, "if our representatives consider the impact of their decisions on transgender people and other people who face discrimination, then their decision should be clear." Speaker Pelosi was supportive in her response, mentioning how she defended the inclusion of gender identity in the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.