Originally printed 05/01/2008 (Issue 1618 - Between The Lines News)

QuoteKilpatrick sides with the one opposing vote, placed by Councilman Kwame Kenyatta. Both men stated that they believed the ordinance was unnecessary because transgender people are already protected in Detroit under the city's sexual orientation discrimination policy. These statements come despite the fact that numerous legal cases have shown that the exact opposite is true. Time and time again, transgender people who seek protection or retribution under the law are denied the right because their grievance is decided by the court to fall outside of the realm of sexual orientation.

Even without cases to back the need for an anti-transgender ordinance, common sense should suffice to reach the same conclusion. If someone is considered by law to be a man or woman, whether or not he or she was born the opposite sex is inconsequential. Any discrimination against them could be viewed as that against any other man or woman, but we all know it's not the same. There is a reason transgender people are being discriminated against and it has nothing to do with whom they are sexually attracted to. It is a direct attack on who they are.

Support of LGBT community includes transgenders
Originally printed 05/01/2008 (Issue 1618 - Between The Lines News)

http://www.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=30118

In the past week, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick made a fatal blunder while attempting to prove that he both supports and works for the LGBT community. It's called consistency and honesty, and if recent news stories out of Detroit have proven anything, it's that Kilpatrick knows nothing about either.

I'm trying to think of a worse job than being mayor of Detroit.  I'll get back to you if I think of one.