Do not sacrifice HBS/TS citizens to arbitrary formulas

 

Springfield, VA, USA. The American Labor Day is rooted in the value and dignity of work. It presents us with an opportunity to reflect on great advances and notable failures, while presenting challenges to ensure that all of our citizens have an equal opportunity to share in the cultivation and spread of prosperity.

 

The American political argument centers on how to ensure timely, full, and equal participation without inhibiting economic expansion.

 

Notable shortfalls remain: social conventions prevent portions of our citizenry from full participation. For instance, men and women born with HBS/TS must transition into society with a full awareness of ignorant social conventions that often translate into employment practices that prevent the full utilization of their talents.

 

Moreover, in most cases the basic medical processes and Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) remain uncovered by medical insurance. It is an out of pocket expense that must be paid out of personal income. And let us remember, HBS/TS is not a lifestyle option. We were here long before the condition had a proper name.

 

And — we have been part of an economic system widely copied (and reacted to) throughout the world. Whatever else others may think of our society, the labor movement in America has been an inspiration worldwide. 

 

The general theme has been that workers and employers in Anerica have a joint drive for common prosperity. Wealth can only be shared after it is created. That is why bureaucratized socialism is in a process of free fall collapse around the world. Even the lowliest worker in a free, capitalist society can achieve a degree of material well-being undreamed of in the stark confines of yesterday's dispiriting collectivism.

 

Sadly, there have been ugly chapters of labor strife in America history, but the positive and great days of labor bore results. Around 35 percent of workers in the American private-sector work force were unionized just 30 years ago; today that number has declined to less than 10 percent. This mainly results from widespread institutionalization of labor movement reforms.

 

There are employers today who oppose unionization but provide many of the benefits first championed by the labor movement. Moreover, “labor” is now understood to include office workers and others who might have been characterized as the oppressors in earlier periods.

 

Labor Day is a celebration for all classes and political persuasions. It allows for communal activities: parades, picnics, baseball games, and non-controversial speech-making that avoids clashes between authorities and workers.

 

Samuel Gompers, the great founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), said that “All other holidays are, in a more or less degree, connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another.” He noted that “Labor Day…is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.”

 

Despite the positives, there is a significant downside to this communal aspect of American labor and its proliferation into non-traditional areas of endeavor. The perceived social threat posed by HBS/TS citizens can provide a justification to delay or block them from full participation and advancement in the workplace.

 

The perceived social “disruption”, irrelevant to matters of elemental justice, can be used to justify employment practices that would arouse strong actions and punishment if applied to other groups.

 

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), pending in Congress, is one attempt to redress this situation by prohibiting discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, with specific provisions for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees. The bill contains exemptions for religious organizations and specific provisions about employer dress codes.

 

ENDA is primarily aimed at discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The initiative has both ancestry and an involved history of strained relations between the GLB communities and transgenderists. We would prefer that orientation be understood as a separate issue from matters of innate neurobiological characteristics, anatomical sex, and social presentation.

 

The confusion of HBS/TS individuals and cross-dressers under the common heading of “transgender employees” can only muddle negotiations as the ENDA bill progresses through the Congress.

 

Despite these reservations, we support the existing ENDA initiative as a flawed but workable start toward the just goal of employment non-discrimination for all. Given other national priorities, it appears unlikely that ENDA can pass during this session of Congress. We anticipate some very hard work to ensure that the very real circumstances of HBS/TS citizens are taken into account during the Congressional recess.

 

We hope cross-dressers and others who express alternative gender presentations are well served in the final version of ENDA. However, we must not sacrifice our HBS/TS citizens to the arbitrary and ideological preferences of those who manipulate gender definitions to suit their recreational preferences or paraphilias.