Hello All,
Been quite awhile since the last update about our situation here. During this time, i had pushed my own very limited resources and ability to function in any capacity as a volunteer coordinator in this campaign, literally to the edge, and had to take a step back for several weeks, so here it is:
As it stands right now, and combined with the full backing of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, as well as several other locally and nationally-based equality organizations, we have launched the beginning of a full scale public relations, educational, and fundraising campaign in the state of Maryland to support our efforts in what could be a potentially precedent setting and historic legislative challenge to Trans-inclusive anti-discrimination legislations.
In Brief:
Last year here in Maryland, the Montgomery County Council (the county of my residence) unanimously passed a very standard bill (Bill 23-07) which included gender identity in the existing civil rights/non-discrimination codes.
This specifically addressed workplace, housing, services(such as cable, taxi services) and public accomodations discriminations protections. I was asked to give personal testimony to the council in public hearings, prior to the passage of this bill. I did so, and provided compelling and thoughtful testimony, which focused 100% specifically on my own rather severe workplace and social dsicriminations issues, which have deeply affected my life in some very distinct ways since the beginning of my transition within the last few years.
LINKS:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/21/AR2007112101708.htmlhttp://www.teachthefacts.org/2007/11/maryanne-arnow-full-text.html (my follow up letter to the council after my testimony)
http://www.metroweekly.com/gauge/?ak=3008http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/10/AR2007111001436_2.htmlhttp://216.116.226.134/stories/040908/montlet52308_32365.shtmlI was asked if I would like to be involved by Dr. Dana Beyer, who is the senior policy advisor to councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, who authored the bill. Dr. Beyer is a retired and respected local eye surgeon, post-op MtF, and former candidate for State Delegate, and will be running for election again soon. She has sat on several local and national boards including the HRC prior to the ENDA debacle last year. She became aware of my situation last year as a result of media and public relations connections i had been making, and with Equality Maryland, whose boards she also sits on at this time. Please see her links below. She is one of the most brilliantly politically capable and outspoken allies that we have here in both our state, and in the country.
LINKS:
http://www.danabeyer.com/http://danabeyer.com/index.php/content/content/20/The County Council DID unanimously pass the bill in November of last year, and it was supposed to have taken effect this February (2008), thereby providing at least some basic level of legislative protections, in the the still absent existence of such protections on either the State or Federal levels for most TG Marylanders.
This did not occur, as a result of a coalition of local opponents, also backed by other nationally-based conservative organizations, which ran a successful and viciously stereotyping, and fear-based campaign, to influence local area residents to sign these petitions. (Our county population, numbering nearly one million, and with more than 400,000 registered voters, is closest to Washington DC, and considered one of the most affluent as well as one of the most liberal and progressive counties in the state, and in the country).
This coalition collected more than 30,000 signatures by what i personally witnessed on several occasions as fair or foul means without any regard to truth. This included the intimations of transgender people being directly and publicly associated with pedophiles, mentally confused and disordered, and other forms of sexual predators.
As in Colorado today, this was very effectively turned into an issue of fear in the locker rooms and bathrooms, to concerned families that were all too easily influenced by these kinds of highly damaging and distorted rhetorical associations. They also specifically targeted the elder and minority communities to get many of these signatures.
This forced the bill to be withdrawn for potential referendum, and now possibly to be carried all the way the the ballot/elections, upcoming in November of this year.
During the petitions gathering phase for the opposition, myself, Dr. Beyer, and many other local supporters, backed by Equality Maryland, volunteered time and effort in an exhausting attempt to confront these petition gatherers for weeks literally around the clock. On the front lines we excercised our own civil rights to engage the public with truthful and educational information at the same times and places where these groups were engaged in their signature gathering activities.
This resulted in several confrontations and debates with these opponents, and as a result, several of us, myself and Dr. Beyer included, have been threatened with lawsuits based on lies and distortions of our actions, and implications of intimidation and harassment, and interference with with a legal electoral process.
This, even though we were able to have petitioners removed from many locations such as schools and shopping centers by verifying that they did not have the appropriate permissions to use those venues at those times for their specific activities. Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, as well as Dr. Beyer and others directly involved in the passage and support of this bill, have received death threats at both home and county offices.
She and the rest of us directly involved have stood our ground against such hostilities, and the continued distortions of both the intent and the meaning of this bill's passage.
LINK:
http://www.notmyshower.net/over_31000_signatures_collected.pdfhttp://www.examiner.com/a-1317723~Council_member_getting_death_threats.htmlThis will be the VERY FIRST time in all of U.S. legislative history to date, that gender identity may have to appear on a ballot issue in any state or county due to removal as a result of a referendum.
This attack on our most basic liberties was done with precision, forethought, high dollar backing, and carried off successfully in a highly progressive state and county. It was also done in an election year, when we all need as many local and state legislators to be able to pass such measures throughout the country, and without being afraid to join in doing so. This must occur in part to continue gathering national traction and solidarity to expand support, and ease the passage of greater Federal levels of protections for all of us.
Equality Maryland, along with the help and direct oversight of the NGLTF, hired local attorney Johnathan Shurberg and filed suit against the elections board to challenge the validity of this petition, including the validity of many of the signatures contained therein based on any number of criteria. This has included non-registered residents, duplications, possible fraud and forgery, as well as the means by which these signatures were gathered, by providing the public with innacurate and misleading information to make their case, and to use fear to induce local voters to sign these petitions.
We were able to eventually obtain the help of more than 100 people from every walk of life and locality, local support groups, as well as other states, that came to help with the brutally exhausting and tedious process of sifting line by line through more than 30,000 signatures, using more than 20 different criteria of potential invalidation, for several weeks. This was necessary in order for our attorney to prepare his case based on these criteria, as set forth by both himself, and with other legal advisors linked with the NGLTF headquaters, located here in Washington, DC.
This was done on a very tight timeline, and we were just barely able to get this work done under the wire for the filing guidleines as set forth in the initial hearings and discovery stages with the BOE.
Any of you that responded to these postings, and provided your help or support in any way whatsoever, i must extend our sincerest thanks, my own personal thanks, and the deepest appreciation by everyone involved in this case.
As it now stands, hopefully the case will be argued within the next few weeks on an expeditied timeline, and we have been given every reason to have confidence that we will be able to have this petition thrown out, and the law reinstated, as it should have taken effect back in February of this year.
In the meantime, as a result of the damages to public opinion and understanding of actual TG issues, in no small part caused by the all too effective campaign of fear waged by these opponent groups, Equality Maryland, again with the full support of the NGLTF, the National Equality Federation, the NCTE, and other local and national support groups, has now officially launched a full scale public relations, educational, and fundraising campaign called:
"Basic Rights Montgomery".I was personally involved in many of the initial stages of formation of this campaign, and the initial meetings which have begun to form and select the members for the various committees necessary to launch this project.
This has also involved fundraising activities that will be used to help defray the massive cost of the legal support we have needed to file this suit, and continue the legal challenge against the County Board of Elections.
The NGLTF Action Fund provided a fund-matching donation of $20,000 in it's initial stage, and i was invited to attend the NGLTF's national awards duinner, during which time we were presented with this check. The check was presented to Dan Furmansky, Executive director of Equality Maryland, and Dr. Beyer, myself, and our strongest local volunteeer supporters werre all present on stage to accept this very significant donation that night.
Daniela Sea of "The L Word" was a special guest speaker that night, and her words of support, compassion, understanding, and call for solidaity among the communities brought the room to silence and me to tears.
As well, the HRC has now thrown its full weight of support behind us in this effort, and has also made a matching fund grant of an additional $20,000.
This past Sunday Evening, Equality Maryland held it's annual "Night Our For Equality Gala" event for more than 500 local supporters including many of our local and state legislators, and internationally well known celebrities, activist organizations, and dozens of private and corporate supporters and sponsors.
Dan Furmansky was able to raise more than $25,000 that evening to directly support the Basic Rights Montgomery Campaign now beginning in full swing, and had, the day before, asked me to give him his closing statement in honor of Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, the author of the Anti-discrimination bill here in my home county.
This event entailed many excellent guest speakers, and dealt with many more issues and awards spanning the entirety of the global LGBT community.
LINKS:
http://www.thetaskforce.org/press/releases/PR_brm_042408http://www.thetaskforce.org/TF_in_news/08_0430/stories/9_action_fund_issues.pdfhttp://www.hrc.org/10543.htmhttp://apps.facebook.com/causes/85629 (new facebook page for this effort)
It was my wife's birthday, and i was also one of the Table Captains for the event. She attended with me and Dan Furmansky personally made sure that we were comped for our seats ($125 a head), as well as being invited to the VIP reception prior to the event.
This was her very first time appearing in public within these communities, openly in direct support as my spouse.
She recieved love, support, and the utter respect she is all too well due for her strength in remaining by my side through these most difficult and overwhelming years in our marriage. She had an incredible time and needed to see for herself the force of what is being created right here in our home state - and she was very glad that she did.
My table was the single largest TG presence in the room, with fellow acitivsts and friends that came from all over the state and other states in support of our efforts.
here's the Link for the event:
http://www.equalitymaryland.org/events/gala_2008_thanks.htmhere is also a link to the Vigilance blog, Founded by Jim Kennedy of TTF (Teach the
Facts.org) showing photos of groups of protestors which showed up outside the Gala that evening with sandwich board signs in protest of the bill
23-07. One of the photos shows Cynthia, a dear friend of mine and strong supporter from another county, who left the Gala for a time (she was at my table) to go and engage in dialogue with these people. God bless her amazing heart.
http://www.teachthefacts.org/2008/06/gigantic-shower-nut-protest.htmlBoth Deb (my Wife) and I were able to meet and spend some quality time talking with Mr. George Takei (formerly Mr. Sulu of Star Trek) and his life partner of more than 20 years, to be legally married under California's amazing new legislative advances. I also was able to speak with Candace Gingrich - whom i had know professionally years before beginning my own transition, and Dr. Lise Van Susteren (human and animal rights activist extraordinaire, sister of Greta Van Suteren of Fox News), whom i had also connected with at last years' event.
The list of amazing supporters from every demographic and community from around the State, the country, and even other countries was incredibly gratifying, and i hope some of you can also attend next years' event should you happen to be anywhere here in this area at that time.
THE MOST CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ORDER OF BUSINESS AT HAND:The Basic Rights Montgomery Campaign will need to gather both local AND national support from everyplace we can possibly have it. This campaign is being prepared full force, in the event that the legal petition challenge fails, and we are forced to take this issue to the ballot in November.
The opponents of this bill effectively did a great deal of local and possibly regional damage to public opinion of all things pertaining to TG people in society in general, and very successfully disseminated a great deal of negative stereotypical information here in our county, state, and other nearby localities.
We MUST NOT lose this case, and we MUST NOT lose at the ballot in November if it must go to a public vote. This will require an unprecedented effort to educate and inform the general public, and roll back the many negative implications raised by these opposition groups in thousands of people's minds within the general public in this State and other nearby localities.
People on the national level that i have been directly involved with are certain this will possibly contribute to setting a level of precedent for such opposition groups if they win this case, and THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN.
WE NEED HELP WITH THE FORMATION OF THIS CAMPAIGN
NOWWe are currently seeking to hire an experienced, talented, and professional campaign manager, as well as other staffers, and i will also attach the links for these job specifications.
If you or anyone you know is qualified or may be interested in applying for such positions, please pass this information along immediately. We have created a website, and need to establish the basis for educational forums, public relations forums, and general outreach programs and templates to help better educate the voting public on these issues, and hopefully crush the oppositions' attempts at fear-mongering in it's tracks, so that we have a fighting chance come November, if it comes to that.
Even if it doesn't go to the ballot, and we win the petitions case, we are STILL going to move forward with the formation of this campaign in an unprecedented move to reach, relate to, and help better inform and educate the general voting public to have a better understanding of all aspects and realities of TG life within our culture.
This is a tremendous opportunity to turn the tables here, and must be for the benefit of all those of us that must still deal every day with such amazingly harsh, humiliating, and destructive negative stereotypes, and all forms of still far too pervasive social, legislative, and workplace discriminations.
These factors which still prevent many of us from being able to move forward, much less survive the rigors of transition, in what is still largely a hostile culture based on what we have seen opposition effectively generate in terms of fear, misunderstanding, and continued misinformation about all people like ourselves, and anyone else that differs from "acceptable norms", anywhere in this world....
PLEASE SEE THE LINKS BELOW: These are JOB postings.
http://www.equalitymaryland.org/jobs/2008_05_13.htmhttp://www.equalitymaryland.org/jobs/2008_05_08.htmLINK TO BASIC RIGHTS MONTGOMERY CAMPAIGN/DONATIONS:
IF you are able to make any sort of donation to support this campaign, it can help all of us.
http://basicrightsmontgomery.org/We have also Started/starting a series of House Parties all across the DC/MD Area to support our efforts. These are excellent events and a great opportunity to not only raise money, but to network, meet supporters from all around the area and help continue to PUT THE FACE on transgender America instead of the disembodied words and denigrating adjectives so many people will only know or see based on what little or inncurate information is still spread about us as often as possible by those that do not understand, and those that oppose the very validity of our ability and rights to exist in open socity in the first place.
LINK for Sample Evite Invitation for one of the first parties that took place this week, organized by Dave Noble of the National Task Force Headquarters:
http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=VICITSYQIQTLUXYWDENS&li=iq&src=email&trk=aer6It was a VERY nice event, as is always a great opportunity to further expand the view of the very real face of Transgender people, to many that may have never been given such personal perspective by people like ourselves.
Please let us know if you would care to become involved and host a house party to support our efforts or use this template to support your own efforts in whatever state or locality you are in.
Deepest and forever thanks to Dave Noble, Lisa Mottet, and everyone else at the Task Force, Dan Furmansky and the entire staff of Equality Maryland, Dr. Dana Beyer, Duchy Trachtenberg, and the Entire county council, The HRC, NCTE, PFLAG, Mr. Mitchell of the Equality Federation, our local legislators in support - including Chris Van Hollen, Senator Rich Madaleno and Mayor Bruce Williams, the Late Gwendolyn and Mr Travis Britt, our incredible attorney Johnathan Shurberg, TerriLee Bell and Hagerstown TG's, and all of my personal friends and allies all across the state and region.
This could not have been accomplished as well thus far without the tireless efforts of our utterly amazing Volunteer Coordinator, Bridget Krzysztofik, the unstoppable Laura Hart of Southern Maryland, and far too many countless others to list here that deserve more credit than you can possibly imagine. Credit and honor where it is due - for the support, the respect, the inclusion, the understanding, and the means to make such things possible in my life, and for everyone else fighting for Equality in Trans and other LGBT issues, anywhere in the world.
Thank you all, for your most needed support.
Most Sincerely,
Maryanne A. Arnow
Email:
allwayscooking@juno.comTel. Direct: 301-370-0944
Posted on: June 06, 2008, 12:45:17 PM
Today is a good day. WE WOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNN !!!!!
We won we won we won WE WON WE WON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MARYLAND HIGH COURT THROWS OUT REFERENDUM PETITION THAT ATTEMPTED TO OVERTURN A TRANSGENDER ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW
(Annapolis, September 9, 2008) - Today, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that an inadequate referendum petition to block a unanimously enacted transgender protection law may not go on the ballot for the November general election, and the law must be allowed to go into effect. The high court reversed the decision of a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge, who had previously ruled that the referendum effort to overturn the law should be allowed on the November ballot, despite the acknowledgement that the petition did not carry the legally required number of signatures. Today's ruling by the high court is the final word on the fate of the referendum.
"The bottom line is that the court said a petition sponsor shouldn't be allowed to cut corners and circumvent legal requirements to get a referendum attacking minority protections on the ballot," said Natalie Chin, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal. "We are very happy that this duly enacted law can take effect and protect a vulnerable group of Montgomery County residents."
NEWS RELEASE
www.lambdalegal.orgwww.equalitymaryland.orgFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Contact:
Dan Furmansky
301-587-7500
dan@equalitymaryland.org
Tika Milan
212-809-8585 ext: 223
Cell: 646-752-5302
tmilan@lambdalegal.org
On November 13, 2007, the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed an act adding gender identity to the county's civil rights law in order to address discrimination against transgender individuals. A group calling itself Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) sought to collect enough signatures on a referendum petition to block the law from going into effect. Lambda Legal, together with counsel retained by Equality Maryland, represented concerned Montgomery County registered voters who opposed CRG's flawed referendum effort to set back the clock on civil rights in Montgomery County. Lambda Legal and Equality Maryland argued that the number of signatures needed to put the referendum petition on the November general election ballot was insufficient and that the Montgomery County Board of Elections over-counted purported signature entries in violation of detailed statutes that safeguard the referendum process.
"This long overdue, crucial law is all about assuring that unchecked bias is not allowed to inhibit our neighbors' abilities to make a living or rent a home, and as a Montgomery County resident, I breathe a sigh of relief that this campaign to roll back anti-discrimination protections is now over," said Dan Furmansky, Executive Director of Equality Maryland. "While we were ready to make our case to the voters of Montgomery County, it is far better that our transgender brothers and sisters be spared the rhetoric that the referendum proponents have subjected them to over the past year. Equality Maryland thanks Lambda Legal, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the law firm of Arnold and Porter, and the many volunteers who came together to assure that our laws in Montgomery County are on par with the 100 other jurisdictions nationally that protect residents from discrimination on the basis of gender identity."
Susan Sommer, Senior Counsel, and Natalie Chin, Staff Attorney, are on the case for Lambda Legal. Jonathan Shurberg, lead attorney for Equality Maryland, argued the case. The case is Doe et al. v. Montgomery County Board of Elections.
