Among the items on the agenda will be discussion about the meeting that took place this past weekend in Memphis of the brand new Coalition of State Transgender Advocacy Organizations, of the recently concluded state legislative session, federal legislation and policies, and upcoming local efforts to pass non discrimination laws in Tennessee.  Of course, we will also discuss the 2010 elections.  Early Voting starts one day earlier, on Friday, July 16.

Attendance is free and open to all.  If you wish to attend, please contact us for directions.

And Please Save These Other Dates!

Saturday, July 24, 4:00 to 5:30 pm, CDT
Fundraising Reception Featuring

Mara Keisling Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality Co-Chair, United ENDA Coalition

Tribe
1517 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37203

Saturday, October 23 (New Date!)
TTPC 6th Annual Dinner
Nashville
Details to follow soon

At the present time, there is no legislation pending in Congress which will end discrimination against transgender persons in the military.

Pass ENDA Now

There is, however, a bill pending that does ban discrimination against all LGBT people, the Employment Non Discrimination Act (S.1584; H.R.3017).  The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition has joined several hundred other local, state, and national organizations calling on Members of Congress to begin action immediately.  We are tired of the delays.

Currently two members of the Tennessee delegation are co-sponsors of ENDA, Jim Cooper (202-225-4311) and Stephen Cohen (202-225-3265).

Please contact them and thank them for their support, but also urge them to oppose any Motion to Recommit designed to delay the bill or weaken transgender protections in the bill.

The rest of Tennessee’s Representatives are:

• Phil Roe, M.D., 202-225-6356, Member of the House Education and Labor Committee
• John Duncan, Jr., 202-225-5435
• Zach Wamp, 202-225-3271, candidate for Governor of Tennessee
• Lincoln Davis, 202-225-6831
• Bart Gordon, 202-225-4231
• Marsha Blackburn, 202-225-2811
• John Tanner, 202-225-4714

and Tennessee’s Senators are:

• Lamar Alexander, 202-224-4944, Member of the Senate HELP Committee
• Bob Corker, 202-224-3344

Use this message:

My name is _____ and I am a proud resident of (your city, county). I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S.1584; H.R. 3017), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. Please take action to pass ENDA now. I can be reached at _______ (give your phone number). Thank you.

It only takes a moment.  Your action can help shape the future.

Currently, 12 states and more than 100 localities have LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination protections, covering nearly 40 percent of Americans.  The State of Tennessee is not one of those states, but the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and in 2009, both Shelby County and Metro Nashville, have all adopted such policies for their employees.  Additionally, more than 150 Fortune 500 companies, including most recently, Federal Express, have enacted nondiscrimination policies protecting LGBT workers.  Other agencies and private employers based in Tennessee do have such policies in place, but many remain unprotected.

And, according to numerous surveys, large majorities of likely voters in the U.S. support federal employment non-discrimination laws to protect LGBT people. Polling data from 2006 shows that voters are more likely to support a candidate who votes for LGBT discrimination laws than they are to vote against.

Autumn Sandeen

To read more about Autumn’s thoughts on community, activism, and the direct action by  GetEqual at the White House this week, click here.

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R.1283), which would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, would permit continued discrimination against transgender people in the military.

Carla Lewis

Last week, Carla Lewis of Maryville, Secretary of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition and blogger at manicsquirrel, qualified as a candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives in the Democratic Primary in District 8, covering parts of Blount and Sevier Counties.

This week, however, Carla decided to withdraw and endorse Marvin Pratt in the Primary instead:

While I would be a constant advocate and voice for gay and transgender Tennesseans if elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, the people of the 8th District in Blount and Sevier counties have needs of their own that require attention.
Ranked the most visited national park in the country with 8-10 million visitors per year, the residents of the 8th district rely heavily on tourism as their greatest source of revenue.  Tourism in general is a poverty industry (often part time and seasonal) for its workers while artificially inflating the cost of living for local residents.

According to the USDA, 20% of children in Sevier County though the age of 17 live in poverty.  With an increase in poverty, so increases the occurrence of domestic violence, drug manufacture and use, and unwanted teen pregnancy.

In addition to addressing economic conditions, I have a few creative ideas on improving the education system in Tennessee such as requiring all public high schools to offer classes in brainstorming, problem solving and critical thinking.

We applaud our friend and collegue for coming forward to discuss so many critical issues of importance, even though she has decided not to run this year.  We look forward to her continued efforts in the political arena on behalf of the residents of District 8, and urge other transgender residents of Tennessee to follow Carla’s lead and consider running for office as well.

We urge the counting of Transgender people in the 25th Dicennial Census in 2020.

The Census Bureau is, however, hiring Transgender people to be Census takers.  If you are interested in working for the Census Bureau, which is covered by new Federal policy banning discrimination based on gender identity or expression, visit the Census Bureau website at www.2010censusjobs.gov for more information.
You can learn more about LGBT people and the census at Our Families Count.

As part of this effort, the Human Relations Commission will hold a Public Listening Forum in Hermitage on March 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  We encourage all transgender residents who can attend this forum to do so and share your stories.  This will be the first such government study in Tennessee focused on discrimination of transgender people.  The data collected will compliment the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (attached) which was recently released by the National Center for Transgender Equality, showing the breadth and depth of discrimination people face across the country based on their gender identity or gender expression.

Refreshments will be served.  If you have questions, please email the Human Relations Commission.

Dozens of LGBT Tennesseans and supporters discussed various issues including SB0253 by Sen. Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis)/HB0335 by Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis), which would add “gender identity or expression” as a hate crimes sentencing enhancement factor to Tennessee Code Annotated 40-35-114, and SB0252 by Senator Marrero/HB0334 by Rep. Richardson, which would permit gender changes on birth certificates.  In addition, you took the time to discuss other bills that would limit the rights of LGBT people, including the right to adopt, the right to vote without fear of harrassment, and bans on the teaching of sexual diversity.

We hope all of you will continue the relationships you have established and will join us again in 2011 for the 7th Annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill.

Pay Equity Rolled to Last Calendar

The day after Advancing Equality Day on the Hill, on Wednesday, March 3, the Tennessee House Employee Affairs Subcommittee decided to roll HB0776 by Mike Turner to the Last Calendar of 2010.  This bill, called Pay Equity in the Workplace, would increase penalties for denying equal pay for equal work based on gender.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition strongly supports this bill.

We encourage you to contact members of the House Employee Affairs Subcommittee and express your support for equal pay for equal work regardless of gender.  Members of the Employee Affairs Subcommittee are:

• Mike McDonald (D-Portland), Chair
• Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville), Vice-Chair
• Sherry Jones (D-Antioch)
• Gary Moore (D-Joelton)
• Donna Rowland (R-Murfreesboro)
• Mark White (R-Memphis)

NCTE Congressional Lobby Days for ENDA

Later this month, members of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition will be going  to Washington, DC, as part of the annual NCTE Congressional Lobby Days, March 14 to 16, to meet with members of Tennessee’s Congressional delegation to discuss the importance of the Employment Non Discrimination Act (S.1584; H.R.3017).

If you cannot join us in DC, you can still participate by calling your Members of Congress during those dates and urge them to support ENDA and bring an end to discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Currently two members of the Tennessee delegation are co-sponsors of ENDA.  Please contact Jim Cooper (202-225-4311) and Stephen Cohen (202-225-3265), and thank them for their support and urge them to oppose any effort to strip or weaken transgender protections in the bill.

The rest of the Tennessee delegation consists Senators:

• Lamar Alexander, 202-224-4944
• Bob Corker, 202-224-3344

and Representatives:

• Phil Roe, M.D., 202-225-6356
• John Duncan, Jr., 202-225-5435
• Zach Wamp, 202-225-3271, candidate for Governor of Tennessee
• Lincoln Davis, 202-225-6831
• Bart Gordon, 202-225-4231
• Marsha Blackburn, 202-225-2811
• John Tanner, 202-225-4714

Use this message:

My name is _____ and I am a proud resident of (your city, county). I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S.1584; H.R. 3017), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. Please take action to pass ENDA now. I can be reached at _______ (give your phone number). Thank you.

It only takes a moment.  Your action can help shape the future.

Currently, 12 states and more than 100 localities have LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination protections, covering nearly 40 percent of Americans.  The State of Tennessee is not one of those states, but the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and in 2009, both Shelby County and Metro Nashville, have all adopted such policies for their employees.  Additionally, more than 150 Fortune 500 companies, including most recently, Federal Express, have enacted nondiscrimination policies protecting LGBT workers.  Other agencies and private employers based in Tennessee do have such policies in place, but many remain unprotected.

And, according to numerous surveys, large majorities of likely voters in the U.S. support federal employment non-discrimination laws to protect LGBT people. Polling data from 2006 shows that voters are more likely to support a candidate who votes for LGBT discrimination laws than they are to vote against.

Regardless of which holiday you may celebrate, may your season be safe and joyous.

Another area of concern in which we have already seen the first bills of the new General Assembly being filed would require new Voter IDs:

• SB0003 by Beavers/HB0009 by Weaver
• SB0005 by Ketron/HB0010 by Maggart, Lynn, and Evans
• HB0267 by Watson

TTPC has previously opposed any such legislation because of its potential disfranchising impact on transgender voters and will do so again this year.

We also anticipate continuing to oppose any legislation which discriminates against LGBT Tennesseans in Civil Unions, Education, and in any other area where there is an attempt to deny full equality.

We will continue working to repeal Tennessee’s one-of-a-kind ban on gender changes on Birth Certificates.

We also urge lawmakers to add “gender identity or expression” to Tennessee Code Annotated 40-35-114 (23), making it easier for state and local authorities to track and prosecute hate crimes against all LGBT Tennesseans.

If you do not know the name of your State Senator or Representative, you can Find Your Legislator by clicking here.

As part of this effort, we strongly urge everyone to join TTPC as we support the Tennessee Equality Project’s 5th Annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill, on Tuesday, February 17. Join LGBT people and supporters from across the state in Nashville as we meet with state legislators and discuss issues of importance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.  More details about the event are below.

If you live in Memphis, Knoxville, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga or Tri-Cities areas, contact TEP before scheduling your meetings to avoid setting up multiple meetings with the same representatives.

On Friday, TTPC members from across the state met in Nashville and elected Officers for 2009:
President, Marisa Richmond (Nashville)
Secretary, Carla Lewis (Maryville)
Treasurer, VIckie Davis (Columbia)