More On ENDA

Not that he's ahead but, Barney Frank needs to shut-up and stop digging his whole deeper. Last week he gave a statement to Congress again proving that he really doesn't care about the transgendered community. There are several things that could be commented on but, I will just focus on two of them.

In his statement he said that we've been dealing sexual orientation predjudice and fighting it since the Stonewall riots of 1969. And that the predjudices towards the transgendered are newer. A little history lesson for Mr. Frank, it was the transgendered and crossdressers the police were after that night at Stonewall. The transgendered community has been dealing with the predjudice just as long and they've had to take it from those who should support them as well. The difference is that they aren't going to take it anymore and the rest of the LGBTQ community is finally starting to fight for and with them, rather than against them.

In regards to lobbying efforts by the LGBTQ organizations and individuals in the last couple weeks Mr. Frank said "Where were they when we needed them? I'm glad to see the activity now - I just wish it was not so late." The answer is, we were there. Everyone was involved. However, they were focused on the hearings and getting the bill through committee and onto the floor. They were told it would be a tough fight but, that it would pass. So they worked on making sure people didn't pull their support rather than aggressively pursuing people for votes and scaring them. The organizations and community were then blindsided by Mr. Frank's decision to pull the gender identity portion of the bill. Had he made it clear months ago that, that was a possibility people would have done hard lobbying and educating.

I think that was his plan all along. Put gender identity in to get stronger support from the organizations. Then pull it at the last minute. And he expected everyone to just lay down and take it. Only to his dismay that isn't what happened. He talks about people in Congress telling him and the others behind the bill what they wanted to hear. Which is exactly what he did to the community. He told us what he needed to, to get the big chunk of support and then changed it at the last minute to get what he wanted.

There's a couple of questions being over looked in all of this. Those questions are:

1) If people having jobs, not being on public assistance, taking care of their families, and everything else that ripples from being employed is such a fundemental part of the platforms for both parties how can either side justify allowing anyone to be fired or not hired for anything other than their ability to do the job?

2) Why is there such a rush to pass it by the end of this year? Now that people know the truth is their any harm in waiting a couple months while we do some more lobbying and educating. After all Mr. Frank has said that the whole reason for this is that there hasn't been enough education on the subject. Maybe we get more votes, maybe we don't. But what difference does it make if a fully inclusive ENDA or a sexual orientation only one is passed and vetoed this year or early next year? You never know what can happen in a few months.