Transgender View of DNC Platform on LGBT Issues
From Marisa Richmond
Yesterday, the Platform Committee of the Democratic National Committee met in Pittsburgh to review and amend the draft platform. In July, community meetings were held all across the country to gather input from people of all walks of life. Those of us in the 2nd Transgender Caucus stepped up in our own way to ensure that the concerns of the Transgender community were heard and ncluded. Amanda Simpson of Arizona met with her Governor, Janet Napolitano, who was the Chair of the Drafting Committee. Several others, including me, met directly with Platform Committee members from our respective states. Tennessee has three members on Platform and I met or talked with all three. In our meetings, we expressed the desire to have language calling for Democrats to support only a fully inclusive, employment non-discrimination act. We also urged passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, access to health care for all Americans, and expressed concern over various ID laws at the federal and state levels. For Transgender Tennesseans, this includes the right to change gender on Birth Certificates, and opposition to the Real ID Act and new voter ID’s.
Convention News
Not everyone is excited for the convention... Utah congressman Jim Matheson has announced that he won't be making the trip to Denver next month.
Utah's top-ranking Democrat will skip the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Denver next month.
Rep. Jim Matheson tells The Salt Lake Tribune that the event will mostly be pageantry because Barack Obama has effectively secured the party's nomination for president. - Local News 8
Matheson has also skipped the last two conventions.
Obama's Berlin Speech
In case you missed it... here is Obama's speech from Berlin.
180 Small Donors to Go
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