On transgender inclusion

Gwendolyn Ann Smith's July 21 column ("HRC tiger can't change its stripes") reminds us all that a part of our community, OUR transgender sisters and brothers, are still struggling for equal representation, parity and inclusion not just from society at large but from the LGBT community as well. This is true not just with Human Rights Campaign but also at many (if not all) national and local organizations and in the LGBT community.
But I do not believe withdrawal from participation in HRC or any other organization is the answer. Like most organizations, HRC is membership based. Rather than withdraw we need to flex our muscle. I was reminded of this several years ago following an HRC dinner when I had the opportunity to speak with the mother of JR Reed, an African-American gay man who was killed in a hate crime.
Until that time I had thought of the Human Rights Campaign as an organization representing the concerns for the most part of gay white men. When I entered the room of mostly gay white men I counted the minutes until I could leave because I did not see anyone like me. But then I began listening to this black woman, this mother and realized this fight for equality was bigger than my uncomfortable feelings of not being around "folks like me."
Later, after telling her what HRC was not doing for my community, Mrs. Reed challenged me to become part of the solution, to not just take my place at the table but be engaged in planning the menu.
I have since become active in the Human Rights Campaign. Last year I joined the HRC Board of Governors and recently joined the National Diversity committee as co-chair. Our Michigan Steering committee has actively reached out to the transgender, African-American, youth and even Republican communities. In March we were recognized for these efforts. We have members of each of these groups not just on our steering committee but in leadership roles.
Although I still go in to meetings in which there are few people like me – African-American and lesbian – I am there, speaking up, working towards change. It is slow, hard work but we can make it happen by always demanding equal representation for all members of the LGBT community. We can accomplish this by not letting HRC or any organization sit on their laurels for partial victories that do not include our transgender community and by showing up and speaking up.
When I was born I was told as an American I was entitled to equality – those inalienable rights that were the birthright of every citizen.
As a child I went out into the community and was denied my birthright because of the color of my skin, so I sought the safety of my African-American community to find equality there. As a teen I went out into my African-American community and was denied my birthright because of who I was and whom I loved, so I sought the safety of my LGBT community to find equality there. Now I am taking a stand in this LGBT community to reclaim our birthright as Americans.
This is no time to retreat, withdraw or disinvest in our LGBT organizations nationally or locally. We all know that those who would deny all of us our rights are evangelizing, recruiting and fundraising to deny every lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender person equality. We are out manned and out financed.
We must be out in our community. Support our organizations – Triangle Foundation, Michigan Equality, Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center, HRC and all the others working 24/7 on our behalf.
If we are serious about equality, if we are serious about ending discrimination, then it's time for each of us to step up to the plate and stay involved and demand more from our organizations and ourselves.