Trans Universe

By Monica F. Helms

As I type this, there are just two states that haven’t been called, Missouri and North Carolina.  Obama has won 349 electoral votes to McCain’s 147.  McCain took Georgia and the Senate race is still a toss up.  With Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss at 52%, Democrat Jim Martin at 44% and Libertarian Allen Buckley at 4%, and with many votes still uncounted, we could be looking at a run-off.  I hope that happens.

However, most of the propositions and initiatives aimed at LGBT people passed.  Arizona’s amendment to their constitution to ban same-sex marriage, Prop 102, passed, 56% to 44%.  Arkansas’ Initiative 1, a ban on gay couples from adopting children, passed 57% to 43%.  Florida’s Amendment 2, a constitution amendment banning gay marriage, needed 60% to pass and it got 62%.  California’s Prop 8, a ban on gay marriage, is still undecided, but it leads 52% to 48%.

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By Monica F. Helms

(Sung to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island theme.)
“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a faithful vote,
That started in this Southern State, on a day to wear a coat.

This girl is a mighty Democrat, who’s never, ever late,
But, standing in that line that day, was a three hour wait,
A three hour wait.”

Somehow, that song came to mind when I finally saved my selections on the computer and got my “I am a Georgia Voter” peach, three hours to the minute from when I first stood in line.  In about three-quarters of the country, states have initiated early voting and Georgia is one of them.

The news told many stories about long lines and hours of waiting before people could get to vote.  On Monday, October 27, is some parts of Georgia, people waited for SEVEN HOURS to vote and in other parts, they waited TEN HOURS.  Tuesday and Wednesday the wait dropped to four hours in many places.  I felt lucky for only having to wait three hours.  The good thing about Georgia is that if you get in line before 7 PM, the polls will stay open until that last person votes.

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This is an E-mail I sent out to all of my Georgia Friends:

By Dr. Jillian T. Weiss

Dr. Jillian T. Weiss has a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Law, Policy & Society. Currently Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College of New Jersey, she has conducted research involving hundreds of companies and public agencies that have adopted “gender identity” policies. She publishes a popular blog on the subject of Transgender Workplace Diversity, and has numerous research publications on the subject of gender identity. Links to these are found below.

Dr. Weiss is also Principal Consultant for Jillian T. Weiss & Associates, a consulting firm that works with organizations on transgender workplace diversity issues. She has trained hundreds of employees at corporations, law firms, diversity trainers and governmental organizations. Dr. Weiss has worked successfully with Fortune 500 companies and large public agencies during the past few years, including Boeing, HSBC, KPMG, Viacom, and the New York City Department of Homeless Services. Her work has been featured in news stories by the New York Times, Associated Press, the Society for Human Resource Management, Workforce Management Magazine, and HR Executive Magazine.

Originally posted on The Bilerico Project.

It was a beautiful fall day as my partner and I drove upstate from New York City to enjoy the change of seasons in Northeast U.S.A. this past weekend. We enjoyed looking at the glorious colors of the foliage in my car, proudly emblazoned with an “Obama ‘08″ sticker on the rear bumper of my Jeep.

Suddenly, from hundreds of feet behind, a red SUV accelerated madly, blowing the horn continuously as it careened within inches of our bumper. We were traveling at about 60 miles per hour, and just entering a sharp exit curve that required slowing to a speed limit of 40 mph. This is a dangerous situation for any vehicle, but especially to roll-over prone vehicles like my boxy, high and narrow Jeep. My heart pounded and my knuckles whitened as I wrestled the steering wheel into the curve. I slowed down to accommodate the steeply-banked turn, hoping the maniac behind me would slow down enough to avoid an accident. Instead, the red SUV moved even closer and the continuous horn blaring did not cease.

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By Monica F. Helms

Today is a special day, a day that transgender bloggers across the country put fingers to keyboard to urge their friends and readers that we need to support Senator Barack Obama for President. This has been a historical week, but one we should have never seen. We have had eight years of a failed administration, led by a man who has failed in every company he has run, and failed as the Governor of Texas. Seems easy to see that if he can’t handle a company, should he have been handling a country?

On a Monday when the Dow had its highest numerical drop in history, transgender people are rallying to show that our community cares about the future of this country. We don’t want four more years of this failed policy. We want four years of an administration that actually supports the needs of the transgender community. We want four years of a chance to recover and to prosper once again. We want four years where other countries in the world trusts us once again. We want Obama!

This is why we have set this day aside to break some goals in the number of those who donate to Obama’s campaign from the transgender community, our friends and family members. We are looking for 200 donations and as I type this, we have 172. We also set out to break $10,000, which we have. I think we can bring both numbers well past the goals we set for ourselves.

To donate in the name of the transgender community, go to the Obama’s Transgender ActBlue page set up specifically for the transgender community. You don’t have to be trans to donate on that page. Our friends and allies who believe in equal rights for all people need to visit this page and help Obama’s campaign and show how much you support your transgender friends and family members. Let’s move this country in the right direction. Let’s help Obama win the White House.

Guest posting by Angela Brightfeather

Angela has been an activist for the transgender community is some form or another for the last 42 years. Some of our community’s activists weren’t even born then. She has been on the board of NTAC, It’s Time, North Carolina and the several other organizations too numberous to mention. Currently, she serves as the Vice President of the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) and is one of its Co-Founders. Also, Angela is one of my closest friends.

And, the big question for Senator Obama is . . . . ?

You know something? I am so tired of arguing with people about HRC and about their loyal transgender members and workers at the bottom of the food chain we call the “GLB community.” I am also getting tired of the absolute position of transgender leaders whom I know, about their insistence that we don’t need HRC and that they compare them to our worst enemies..

I actually agree with both sides of all this argument, which makes me stop and think a minute about why we need to argue in the first place?

Deep in the pit of my stomach, I have always sought the most acute area of pain in our community and focused the things I have done in that direction. As a professed and unashamed healer in our community, I really have no choice but to be drawn to ease the pain and that is how it has been for most of my life.

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