By Sarah Mieras
LANSING – Putting concerns of the L the G and the B aside, advocates for Transgender civil rights issues stormed Michigan's Capitol last week to meet with Senators and State Representatives in the state's first Trans Lobby Day.
Organized by Transgender Michigan and the Triangle Foundation, the all-day event on March 17 was co-sponsored by organizations throughout the state. Lobby Days, which have become a commonplace activist tool in Michigan and aim to put real people in touch with their lawmakers and their staff, represent an effort to highlight the personal impact of bills that would recognize sexual orientation and gender identity in civil rights, hate crime and adoption legislation.
Too often though, say transgender activists, gender expression and identity are omitted from these bills when they are drafted or in the committee process once they are assigned a bill number.
"The pattern is that legislators are more hesitant to include gender identity in laws," said Triangle Field Organizer Kirstin Leiby.
The constant omission of trans-inclusive language, Triangle's Sean Kosofsky told activists preparing to meet with lawmakers, is simply a matter of education.
"You are actually more likely to find support for transgender issues than LGB issues because the right wing doesn't have a scriptural reason to back up anti-trans sentiments," said Kosofsky. "There are doors open to the trans community that just aren't open to the LGB community, and today we are going to exploit those issues."
The Trans Lobby Day, noted Leiby, represented a number of firsts in Michigan. It was the first for the LGBT community and possibly a first encounter with gender identity and expression issues for some lawmakers.
"This is probably the first time many legislators have come face-to-face with a transgender person or trans issues. I think today is just the beginning of an educational process," said Leiby.
For Rachel Crandall of Transgender Michigan, the Lobby Day marked the fruition of education.
"The fact that organizations throughout the state recognized the need for the Lobby Day is an example of how far the LGBT community has come in its own acceptance of trans issues and people," said Crandall. "This is the very first time the whole LGBT community is saying, 'transgender community, we are here for you.' In the past, it has always been us saying 'We are here for you' to them."
Calling the event "a long time in the works," Crandall explained that the legislation people would discuss with their lawmakers, such as second parent adoption, civil rights inclusion, the sodomy law and hate crimes bill, would benefit the entire LGBT community. For one day, though, the impact of these issues on the Transgender community took center stage.
"For instance, with the civil rights bill, if only sexual orientation is on it, then gay and lesbian people aren't protected against gender discrimination issues," explained Crandall.
More than 25 activists from throughout the state participated in the Trans Lobby Day. For many the day marked their first time meeting with their lawmakers.
"I am here because people need to be accepted for who they are, not what they look like," said Tazz, a first time lobbyist from Dearborn.
"With lots of people here from all over the state we will be able to show lawmakers that trans identified people are important constituents," said another first time lobbyist, Jaiden Charlton from the Ruth Ellis Center.
Although there are no current plans for another Transgender Lobby Day, Crandall noted that more trans-specific issue days at the Capitol are certainly a possibility.
