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Advancing on-the-job protections for GLBT

• Published February 14, 2009

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I've spent the past three weeks soaking up the glowing transparency of President Barack Obama's new administration.

Obama inherited a nation in one heck of a mess — and has tackled the massive job with speed.

The White House Web site at www.whitehouse.gov is an incredible asset — both to me as a journalist, and to every U.S. resident who wants to know what the president has on his agenda.

His civil-rights agenda truly does give me hope. I realize I'm gushing, but this is really good stuff.

Among Obama's objectives:

• Expand hate-crimes statutes: Obama wants to pass the Matthew Shepard Act, which would expand the federal hate crimes law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

• Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell: "President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. The key test for military services should be patriotism," states whitehouse.gov.

• Expand adoption rights: Obama believes all couples and individuals should have to right to adopt, regardless of sexual orientation.

One item of particular interest is Obama's support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

ENDA has a long, arduous history.

"ENDA was first proposed in the early 1970s," said Susan Stryker, an Indiana University gender-studies professor who will give at lecture at The Evergreen State College on Thursday called "A Queerly Disabled ENDA: A Few Cutting Remarks about Transgender Ex/Inclusion."

The event, part of the the Cal Anderson Memorial Lecture series, is free and open to the public.

"It (ENDA) didn't get a hearing until the early Clinton administrations, where it failed by one vote."

It was revived in 2007, but the version that was presented to the House for a vote was stripped of protections for gender identity and gender expression.

"(Rep.) Barney Frank took a straw poll of people in the House and said that they could pass a version that included sexual orientation only," said Stryker, "but too many people were uncomfortable with passing gender identity."

Removing gender identity from ENDA caused a rift in the GLBT movement.

But Stryker, like me, sees hope in the new Obama administration.

"We got this new guy in as president," Stryker said. "The White House Web site says Obama supports the non-discrimination act."

But Obama is not the only one giving the GLBT community hope for federal on-the-job protections for all people.

An interview with Frank posted on www.towleroad.com, a GLBT blog, also is promising.

He admits passing ENDA "still remains tough."

"Now, if we can't do it in New York, Maryland or Massachussets, it becomes a little harder when you throw in Utah, South Carolina and Nebraska," said Frank in the interview. "Despite that, I think we'll be able to do it. We got 21 new Democrats."

What's important is that it contains protections for gender identity and gender expression.

"In my opinion, the gender-expression part is the most important part," Stryker said. "The idea of gender expression being included is important because it includes everybody."

This is not relevant to just the GLBT community; this affects us all.

Do you prefer to wear pants to work, instead of a skirt? Do you prefer not to wear makeup? How about maintaining facial hair?

These are issues that affect us all as employees — and I understand that dressing professionally is one thing, but being forced to conform to something that is not in one's nature goes too far.

I have been told that I would be fired if I did not wear a skirt to work every day. That is unfair employment practice. And, it has nothing to do with my sexuality.

"The idea behind the employment bill is that is says no matter what you look like or how you dress, it should not get you fired from the job," Stryker said.

ENDA is not just a fight for queers; it is for us all.

We should all join this fight.

Susan Stryker

•What: Cal Anderson Memorial Lecture series with guest speaker Susan Stryker

•Where: The Evergreen State College Recital Hall/Communications Building

•When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

•Cost: Free, but parking on campus is $2

Ruth Schneider wears skirts so rarely, it usually causes jaws to drop. Contact her at rschneider@theolympian.com.