Most of my friends are ignorant. Even highly educated people. There are people who think that letting kids find their own gender identity is child abuse - and they don't even have kids of their own (I have three).

Quote from: Lady_Oracle on October 01, 2014, 02:16:46 AM
I do my best to educate one person at a time, its all I can do at least for now.

Both individual efforts and large group efforts are very important in educating people about us. Some of us are in a position to be able to participate in the larger efforts, but all of us are in a position to work at a one-on-one level. I am not a member of any large groups and I am not a mover and a shaker so my efforts are on an individual basis.

One of the best ways to advocate for us is for people to see us out and about and going about our lives. I very successfully transitioned at the company I work for (about 60 people) and they see me happily being me. If someone has questions I have answers and people know that they can come and talk to me. I think that there were some women that were initially nervous about the bathroom deal; I have now run into most of them in there by now and they can see that i'm in there for the same reason that they are and they seem to have relaxed a bit. I have heard no slurs or bad things being said about me and my friends in the company report the same. In fact, I seem to be rather old news now around the water cooler 

I don't want to be known just for my trans story so I don't incessantly talk about myself at work; I just am who I am with an interesting personal story and i've found that people respect that.

At any rate that's 60 more people in the world now that went from ignorance to having a positive view about us.

My opinion about Barney Frank is that he is mostly out to promote his own cause and as he's proven he will throw us under the bus if he thinks that will help him. I have no use and no respect for him.

I do agree that we have a tendency to hide ourselves from view (something I'm apparently terrible at oops). And I believe that every transgender person who can be out and proud and maybe even loud is another win. As we often conclude at my supportgroup, WE are also a part of this society so we have to play our part in it. Then again I also understand those that find it hard or even impossible to be open about themselves, I do believe nobody should be forced or shamed into educating and being out. Straight people don't have to educate people on their sexuality, cis people don't have to educate people on their gender.... For some people playing that part is just not what they want, or isn't okay for them.
Furthermore I get the feeling this politician is just using that as an excuse. LGB people seem to forget that Transgender people (especially women of colour) played an important part in the emancipation of the gay rights movement as well! The example of the stonewall riots comes to mind in this.
I also do think that it's partly a 'we are a very small group issue'. I live in a pretty accepting country with equal rights and so on yet I know several lgb people that aren't open about who they are. Purely from my experience I'd say it's also just a small percentage of the lgb's I know that are open and educating people, that percentage just amount to a lot more people then if I were to take the same percentage from the group of transpeople.

Transgender resources were pooled with GLB resources for passage of ENDA,  HRC was begging for transgender support and the T-dollar, they got it. Frank needing votes,suddenly pulled out of his hat a bill that did not have "gender identity". HRC remained silent. There was not time to put together an independent lobbying effort. Gone was the inclusive promise that the HRC had made when they cashed checks from transgender supporters. ENDA opponents saw a house divided and went for the kill.

http://transequality.org/Newsletter/2007/junenews07.html

QuoteLargest Transgender Lobby Day a Great Success!

On May 15, 2007, the largest transgender Lobby Day ever was held in Washington, DC.  This year, NCTE's Lobby Day included an amazing 130 transgender citizen lobbyists from 30 states around the country! 

http://www.queerty.com/frank-splits-enda-20070928
Sept. 28 2007

QuoteGay representative Barney Frank has spoken. Trans rights and gay rights aren't equal:
Frank is set to introduce two versions of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the House Education and Labor Committee. One would extend civil rights protections based on sexual orientation. The other would do so for gender identity, which would cover transgender people who have changed their sex, are living their lives as the opposite sex or who do not conform to traditional gender roles. This will be done because within the past few days it became clear that an inclusive bill would be defeated because of the transgender protection.

october
http://www.advocate.com/news/2007/10/04/donna-rose-why-she-resigned-only-transgender-member-hrcs-board

QuoteAt HRC, Rose got
an update from the vice president of programs, David
Smith, in person. "At some point he asked me what I
felt was the right thing to do. I told him we
needed to support the fully inclusive version and to
oppose anything less," said Rose, adding that Smith
indicated HRC was not likely to oppose a bill that was
gay-friendly.

november
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php?topic=22573.0

QuoteTue Nov 27, 2007
Transgender Leaders Donna Rose and Jamison Green Resign from HRC Business Council
The only transgender members of the Human Rights Campaign Business Council, Donna Rose and Jamison Green, announced their resignations on Tuesday November 27 in response to recent HRC policy decisions regarding ENDA.

october
http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2007/10/why-transgender-community-hates-hrc.html

QuoteIn conclusion, the drama between the transgender community and HRC (which sadly flared up last week after Rep. Frank introduced a non-inclusive ENDA) is a forty-year-old stew flavored with historical hatred, arrogance, political miscalculations, communication failures, misunderstandings, mistrust, and Machiavellian duplicity.

QuoteThe sad part is that this animosity is preventing HRC and the transgender community from effectively working together to defeat their common enemy despite the desires of people on both sides to do precisely that.

Sadly I've found more misunderstanding and out and out hatred from cis gay men than I have from straight men. White cis gay men are the straight white men of LBGT.

--Jay

Quote from: Jaime R D on September 29, 2014, 09:16:41 AM
If I recall correctly, Barney Frank was all too willing to drop us from ENDA due to his vision of penises in women's bathrooms and such. He has issues...

He's just covering his butt now.

You're right about that.