Jello wrote:
Obama no. McCain yes. He'll be a friend to the transgender community.
Point taken. I don't expect anything from either one of them, nor do I see Congress doing anything substantive within the next few years, regardless of who's in control. I think we're at least a decade away, but maybe someone will surprise me and prove me wrong. I think hearings like this one do help the issue to gain momentum, though. Regarding McCain, this article from last September is fairly amusing... Another student then asked McCain a question about what he would do for rights for "LGBTs" -- lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. McCain was confused by the question and acknowledged to the audience that he did not know what the initials meant. [The man is a professional politician, yet he's unfamiliar with "LGBT"?] Once the meaning was clarified, McCain told sophomore William Sleaster he is opposed to any form of discrimination, but he supports the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and he opposes same-sex marriage. [Both of which are discriminatory.] "I believe that the sanctity of marriage between man and woman is unique and should be preserved, and I understand the controversy that swirls around that issue, and that debate needs to be continued to be held, but I support that position," McCain said. "You want to take away someone's rights because you believe it's wrong," Sleaster followed up. "I don't put that interpretation on my position, but I understand yours," McCain responded, seeming to enjoy the back and forth.
Amazing. From Obama's website... Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. [Sound nice, until...] As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment.
"Separate but equal" is the best way? He goes on and on about fighting "discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity," but when it comes to marriage, he assigns a different social status to homosexual couples by suggesting that their unions should be something other than real marriages. So, he supports equal rights, except where doing so might cost him some votes. Swell. RE: Historic Congressional Hearing on Workplace Protections for Transgender Americans | 
