Transgender Issues: Election 2008

[Guest]

While it's not my job to endorse candidates it is to present the facts. Transgender persons have been fighting for their rights since i can remember. In too many Governments we are ignored. The FBI doesn't even keep statistics on violent crimes against us. Congress voted against including us in ENDA. Of the two major candidates only one even mentions us and is in favor of our rights.

“The transgendered community has to be protected. I just don’t have any tolerance for that sort of intolerance. And I think we need to legislate aggressively to protect them.” OBAMA - 2008 http://a4.g.akamai.net/f/4/19675/0/newmill.../pdfs/obama.pdf

Whoever is elected for president will have a four year term. So it comes down to who is more probable to help transgender people? Certainly I don't feel like waiting another four years to see transgender people take their rightful places in the world.

This is not a one issue campaign. Each candidate has their own strengths and weaknesses and when you vote you must consider all issues, not just one. Please cast your ballot on November 4th, 2008 in the USA.

Laura

[Guest Sheila]

Thank you for including this link Laura, The man has won over my heart. I will be heartbroken if he does not win. I feel that if Obama wins, we will have much hope for the future of the transgender community. Otherwise, what do we have to look forward to. And you're right, we need to look at some of the other issue's. Lets see, Obama is talking change, change that this Country badly needs. We need to get off of our oil addiction and I only hear Obama talking about this important issue. we have to think of future generations and the oil will not be around forever. The longer we wait, the harder it will be. well, I think I've said enough for this morning. I hope everybody has a great day.

[haythorx]

McCain wants to get us off less oil too. I believe McCain understands our economic situation better and we need him more than obama. obama has a radical history and has friends in the wrong crowd like bill ayers. Note, McCain hasn't said anything like transsexuals are evil, he really isn't an enemy.

[Guest]

Has Mccain voted for hate crimes or ENDA legislation favoring LGBT people? He hasn't come out in favor of it because it would upset his Evangelical church base. In 2004 Republicans won the White House because of anti-evangelical sentiment against Gay people. A third of states had the marriage question on the ballot which made homophobes turn out in large numbers. They didn't vote on the issues they voted on anti-gay questions. That may happen in 3 states this year. In the past 8 years have you seen the Republicans support ANY LGBT issue? No in fact Bush threatened to veto both hate crimes and ENDA legislation. Yes Democrats had the Senate and House for 2 years but everything they came up with was either vetoed or threatened by one. Remember that in the polls Democrats overwhelmingly lead in races in both Houses of Congress. A republican President will have a hard time getting his agenda by Congress. On the other hand he will have veto power over the Democrat agenda. In effect the Government has been parylized for two years. It is a major miracle they manged to pass recent legislation to jump start a dead economy. Don't get too used to that. Whoever becomes President will need a good majority in Congress from their party to get anything done. The only ones with a real possibility to get anything done are the democrats who are leading in the polls. No matter who you vote for you have to vote for representatives who will support your candidate. Otherwise the Government will remain parylized.

MCCain has proven he will never suport LGBT's. To this point he NEVER has. Certainly no one should hold their breath. At least with Obama LGBT support is a real probability. Are you even for LGBT rights? So far you don't indicate that. If you have I must have missed it.

The Transgender issue is only one facing us. When voting you have to consider everything, not just this issue. Even the polls show the two candidates are ahead on different issues. Polls show Obama favored on the economy and Mccain on defense. The candidate who wins hopefully does so on the issues and solutions. not the ones who depends on slogans and fears and calling people names. Unfortunately that worked in 2004 for George Bush and the anti-gay crowd. Hopefully we will be smarter this time. As for Ayers Obama wasn't close to him. That didn't stop Mccain's campaign from calling people at home by phone yesterday calling Obama a terrorist. Even Mccains collegues were shocked and asked him to stop. This happened in the last election too. When your behind in the polls avoid the issues, lie and attack. I used to have great respect for Mccain. His latest scare tacticts though have diminished him at least in my eyes. By the way Mccain is friends with Gordon LIddy who was convicted of Watergate crimes under Nixon. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-bernste...o_b_134256.html Note the Democrats aren't using that though in fairness they could. There is a big difference between having an "Accidental" relationship you were thrust into for business reasons and being close enough to "pal around and associate". There is something to be said about character when a Candidate (McCain) leaves his disabled wife and has an affair then divorces her to marry a rich chick who could be our First Lady. Again the Democrats haven't used that in their campaign. This election campsign has been nasty and almost all of it from one side. The sad part about it is sometimes that works. Shame on us.

Laura

[Guest]

Now let's not jump to conclusions. I never said anything anti-LGBT.

No but i haven't seen anything supportive either. Makes me wonder.

This is not a one issue campaign. Each candidate has their own strengths and weaknesses and when you vote you must consider all issues, not just one. Please cast your ballot on November 4th, 2008 in the USA Laura quote.

I understand that the economy is important as I said above Transgender is but one issue. This thread is on the Transgender issue. There is an election thread to discuss election views that is more general. http://www.lauras-playground.com/forums/in...?showtopic=4241 It will make it easier to discuss in one place instead of two.

Laura

PS note. Never mind we're off topic but might as well continue this and see where it takes us. It's an important issue.

[Guest Silver]

People are just being cautious by examining Obama's past, just as you are by saying McCain has never supported ENDA

Thats really not a good comparison. Its not 'cautious' to claim that Obama is a terrorist due to his middle name- Hussein- even after these same accusations have been proven false months ago. Thats slander.

[Guest]

People are just being cautious by examining Obama's past, just as you are by saying McCain has never supported ENDA

Mccain didn't support the hate crimes bill either despite all the evidence of violence against us. What kind of person does that?

Here's a link about the phone calls you didn't hear about http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/us/polit...obo.html?ref=us It's shamefull.

Laura

[Guest Silver]

ug, sorry, i was trying to quote haythorx. i just messed it up cuz i';m half asleep

[Guest]

ug, sorry, i was trying to quote haythorx. i just messed it up cuz i';m half asleep

I figured it out. NP

Laura

[Guest]

First the Bush administration dropped pre-conditions and begotiated with North Korea. They dropped conditions because they wern't working. Has not negotiating with Iran worked? When something doesn't work you change it. Repeating the same mistakes for four more years is insane. That's what this election is about. Real change.

Is murder, theft, rape, and other crimes legal against transsexuals? Yes. Is murder, theft, rape, and other crimes legal against humans? No. Are transsexuals human? Yes. Thus are these crimes really legal against transsexuals? No, they are not. I think the point with McCain voting against hate crime bills is that the crimes already exist. Conservatives generally oppose larger governments. So in the conservative mind, would it make sense to add another crime on top of one that already exists? Not really.

This is where liberals and conservatives differ. McCain doesn't have anything against the LGBT community. He doesn't believe in making more laws and expanding the government. Obama wants to make it bigger. The problem with present society isn't that there isn't a hate crime law, it's that people are committing the crimes. And when you think about that, there isn't much the government can do. You can add more laws, increase punishments, make restrictions, make more police, but the thing that needs to happen is change the minds and hearts of the people. Ultimately, the people run this nation.

Anyway, hopefully people start changing. People have been. Especially with the internet. I think the rates are going down.

This sounds like someone who is not transgendered. Are you TS or CD? There are a large number of users here who have been the victims of violence here solely because they are transgendered. In fact the numbers reported just here have tripled since I started this site and this is only one Trans community. Homophobia/transphobia has been around for years. Are you saying nothing should be done to protect us from these bigots? How long should we wait for them to change their minds about us, 1 year, 10, a lifetime. How many more of us should die before the right thing is done? People who can't do what's right shouldn't be elected. It needs to stop now. Even one more death from our community is not acceptable, NOT ONE.

Laura

[Guest Silver]

Haythorx, you missed my point. I was talking about racial profiling. No other cantidate (that I know of, anyways) has been accused of being/relating with terrorists (by this I am referring to the orginal contenders, Obama, Clinton, Huckabee, and McCain). And yes, Obama's middlename was used by the media and (other in other campaigns) as 'evidence' that Obama at least had connections to terrorists.

Obama has agreed to meet with the leaders of nations such as North Korea and Iran without prior arrangements. The leaders of nations always use arrangements before meeting. The idea is to make sure that no one is walking into a trap. Why did Obama say this? Especially about two nations that don't like the US. They both have state sponsored terrorism. Is Obama stupid enough to walk into this trap, or does he trust these nations? This is why some people call him a terrorist. Not that his middle name is Hussein. By examining what he has said and done, people come up with questions

This doesnt make too much sense to me. He's trying to solve a problem here, so he's actually trying to talk about the problem with some of the people involved. I don't understand your logic.

As for the rest of your post, I'm sorry, but I am unswayed. And I have to agree with Laura on the second part.