There is no doubt that the gay and lesbian fight to achieve equal rights and prevent discrimination is an important movement. However, it seems that the GLBT movement has been leaving out one important group.
Attention is constantly focused on only the “G-L-B” in the GLBT movement, transgender people have been getting overlooked, even though their fight for equal rights is just as important.
The story of Constance McMillen, a high school student who wasn’t allowed to take her girlfriend to her senior prom, has been getting tons of media exposure. McMillen’s case against the Itwamba Agricultural High School in Mississippi was taken up by the American Civil Liberties Union. She won her case against the discriminatory actions done by her school and has since become a poster-child for the gay rights movement.
McMillen has been offered many gifts and opportunities. For example, she has been given a $30,000 scholarship from an unknown donor and was even offered an internship in New York by a digital media company. She also has been given a surge of support from GLAAD, which has brought McMillen to speak at many events, and from numerous celebrities, Ellen Degeneres had her on her show and Lance Bass is going to start a “second chance” prom for her and other homosexuals in Mississippi.
“It means a lot to me,” she said of the outreach from others. “The amount of support helps me to continue with the fight.”
While McMillen got tremendous support, a similar act of discrimination done at the same high school went unnoticed.
Juin Baize, 16, is transgender and wears feminine clothing. His mother brought Baize and his two siblings to Mississippi at the beginning of the year to live with their grandmother. He (for now Baize prefers to be called “he”) enrolled at Itwamba Agricultural High School but was only a student there for less than a day. The school suspended him for his clothing attire. When Baize tried to return after his suspension, the school suspended him once again.
“Juin’s case was a situation where a transgender student wanted to attend school dressed in feminine clothing,” said Kristy Bennett, legal director of the ACLU of Mississippi, “and the school district would not even let him attend school.”
Baize’s case was briefly taken up by the ACLU, but there was no success because the school refused to discuss the matter. Baize and his family decided to let the case go. He decided to move to Florida, a place he believes people are more accepting, to live with a friend.
The hysteria and the surge of support that came for McMillen did not come for Baize. Baize left for Florida without any gifts or celebrity support. His story was left out of the mainstream media, making it seem like it didn’t even happen.
The GLAAD community and the public in general isolates the transgender movement because being transgender is threatening to the homosexual fight for equal rights. Being transgender is harder for people to grasp, which may be why the GLBT movement doesn’t highlight the acts of discrimination done to transgenders as much as it does for discrimination done to homosexuals. But, I will say it again, the fight for transgender equality is just as important.
Transgenders face intense acts of discrimination. For example, they are often subject to prejudice and are treated unfairly in the work place.
There are thirteen states that have policies protecting trangender people against hiring bias – only 13 states. And, the laws don’t provide full protection.
“The laws help protect me from getting fired or thrown out of my apartment,” said Rebecca Avery, who transitioned from male to female, “but they do not help me obtain a career, medical insurance or housing.”
Transgender people need more support, their fight can not continue to be left unnoticed. People like Juin Baze should not be left out.
“People get really wrapped up in their minds about people who are trans-identified,” said Oscar Robles who talked to CNN about being transgender. “It doesn’t have to be that big of a deal. Correction, it isn’t that big of a deal.”
Robles is right. Being transgender is not that big of a deal and it’s time more people thought so.
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