HRC Transgender Protest Charlotte NC
Feb
14
Written by:
Saturday, February 14, 2009 1:36:50 PM
Press Release.
Subject Protest.
On February the 21st The Human Rights Campaign will be having its 14th Gala in the Carolinas. The location for this event will be the Westin Hotel and the Charlotte Convention Center located in Charlotte NC.
TransCarolina who is a transgender support group with membership from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. Will be holding a Picket Protest at the same location of the HRC Gala. TransCarolina will be protesting HRC for its discriminatory practices against transgender people. Since the fall of 2007 HRC has displayed practices not consistent with their mission statement.
HRC in representing the GBLT communities during the Employment Non Decimation Act hearings with a Congressional Committee led by the transphobic Congressman Barney Frank, HRC agreed to eliminate the Transgender community from this bill. As a result the transgender community will not be afforded the protection from job discrimination. This gives the transgender community no chance to find employment with equal rights.
During the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta Georgia. HRC Chair/President Joe Solmonese gave a speech to the attendees. In his speech Joe Solmonese promised HRC would only support an Employment Non Discrimination bill that included gender identity. Only later to come back to say he made a mistake after HRC failed to keep its promise to the transgender community.
During the year of 2008 the transgender community has held many peaceful demonstrations in Cities such as Charlotte, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston Texas along with many other Cities. During these demonstrations HRC caused disruptions during these peaceful demonstrations causing harassment to its participants and in one case a woman attending the Gala in San Francisco was ejected and thrown down the steps at the Saint Francis Hotel by security because she had anti HRC material in her position.
We the transgender community deplore the actions of Joe Solmonese and HRC by misrepresenting the transgender community. HRC the Human Rights Campaign was paid with donations and membership fees to represent the transgender community along with our brothers and sisters of the LGBT.
HRC with its discriminatory practices dashed the hope of the transgender community to be treated equal without discrimination. HRC has caused many of our society to be destitute and live in substandard conditions because they have no jobs.
This protest is to remind HRC that we are citizens of the United States that deserve the same rights as any other citizen. We want to be able to have employment and housing without fear of harassment and bigotry.
The transgender community feels that HRC deceived us and led us down a road of despair. They should have had mercy on us and taken us to a slaughterhouse. We will not lie down for anyone or any organization. We will continue our quest with or without HRC.
Janice Covington, Chair of TransCarolina
www.transcarolina.org