Topic: Law

October 28, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
Culminating years of effort by leaders across the nation, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law in a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House. This is the first federal law to specifically protect transgender people, adding protections for gender, gender identity, disability and sexual orientation to the 1969 Hate Crime Act, which already covered race, color, religion and national origin.

"Transgender people have lived in fear far too long," said Denise Leclair, executive director of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). "When we are repeatedly targeted with acts of violence, we are deprived of the basic rights and freedoms that other people take for granted. This law sends a clear signal that we deserve, and are entitled to equal protection."

The Justice Department allowed the deadline for appealing the decision in Schroer v. Billington (Cv-05-1090) to pass without filing. Diane Schroer won her landmark discrimination case against the Library of Congress in September of 2008, for rescinding a job offer when she disclosed that she was transgender. This case is one of a small number which have held discrimination against transgender people to be sex discrimination.

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The Maine Human Rights Commission has ruled in favor of a transgender child who was denied the right to use the gender appropriate restroom at her school. The commission recently ruled in favor of a transgender adult in a similar case as well.

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111th CONGRESS 1st Session
H. R. 3017

To prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 24, 2009

Mr. Frank of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Polis of Colorado, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Sestak, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Nadler of New York, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Castle, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Lance, Mr. Platts, Mrs. Biggert, Ms. Harman, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Meek of Florida, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. DeGette, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Stark, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Doyle, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Wu, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Tierney, Ms. Norton, Mr. Berman, Mr. Honda, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Rothman of New Jersey, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Foster, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Patrick J. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Holt, Mr. Filner, Mr. Sires, Mr. Hare, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Massa, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Clay, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Murphy of Connecticut, Mr. Cleaver, Mrs. Capps, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. Schrader, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Linda T. Sánchez of California, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Welch, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Levin, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Ellison, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Olver, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Israel, Ms. Matsui, Ms. Bean, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Schwartz, Mr. Abercrombie, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Delahunt, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Engel, Mr. Peters, Ms. Kilroy, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Himes, Ms. Speier, Ms. Edwards of Maryland, Mr. Hodes, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mr. Payne, Mr. Heinrich, and Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 19, 2009
WASHINGTON - The International Foundation for Gender Education welcomes the new White House directive to release same-sex marriage data from the upcoming census. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) had been used to justify withholding federal statistics about same-sex marriages for the last decade. The new directive would put an end to this practice.

"Transgender People have had their lives and identities discounted for far too long. Having legitimate marriages erased by bureaucrats is intolerable," said Denise Leclair, executive director of IFGE. "Reversing this offensive policy is a major step forward for the entire LGBT community. We thank the administration for addressing this injustice."

Thousands of heterosexual marriages have become what are effectively same-sex marriages when one partner transitions to the other sex. Although these marriages are legal, rules enacted to prevent gay and lesbian marriages have frequently been used against them as well.
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The International Foundation for Gender Education promotes acceptance for transgender people everywhere through education. Founded in 1978, IFGE is the largest transgender advocacy organization with members worldwide. Providing educational outreach for the emancipation of all gender variant people from restrictive gender norms, IFGE is a non-profit educational corporation with offices in Waltham, MA and Washington, DC and is recognized by the I.R.S. as a 501c(3) charitable organization .

MEDIA CONTACT:
Stephanie Battaglino
201.704.2996 NY | 202.207.8364 DC
media@ifge.org
Communications Director
International Foundation for Gender Education


IFGE | 272 Carrol St NW | Washington DC | 20012 | 202-207-8364
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