HRC President Chad Griffin testified before Congress emphasizing the need to implement and enforce legislation that will protect transgender Americans and curb the rampant violence against their community.
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While this has been a historic year for LGBT rights, with the legalization of gay marriage across the U.S., transgender advocates such as LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jared Polis (D) of Colorado say transgender people are often left out of larger acceptance campaigns. This was a timely forum gearing up for Transgender Day of Remembrance which is Friday November 20th honoring the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. “And to end the ongoing violence and discrimination transgender people experience, we need everyone’s help and support”.
Today, the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus held the first-ever Congressional Forum on Violence Against the Transgender Community in an effort to raise awareness of the scourge of violence impacting the transgender community – particularly transgender women of color. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.), Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).
“The objective of the task force is to analyze the challenges and barriers and figure out what the government’s role is in making life easier for transgenders”, Mr. Flynn tells the Monitor.
Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi commented: “When I meet with the transgender community, they say: “listen to us”.
The post House lawmakers create new transgender equality task force appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
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“We must require social workers, counselors, medical professionals, case managers, and non-profit leaders who provide direct services to transgender people to reexamine the ways they are engaging our transgender community”, she said.
