September 28, 2007

Pelosi, HRC Slated for Awkward Awards Dinner

The decision by House Democratic leaders yesterday to dump transgender people from a civil rights law protecting gays and lesbians from workplace discrimination has put the Human Rights Campaign in a terribly awkward position.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco is to be the guest of honor at the HRC’s big national dinner Oct. 6, where she is to be feted for her accomplishments on behalf of gay people.

The HRC gala could help explain the sudden rush to push the long-languishing Employment Non-Discrimination Act, known as ENDA, through the House next week — even if it means throwing transgender people off the bus.

The move has generated outrage in the gay rights community — with the notable exception of HRC, which so far remains silent…

. . .

The hate crimes bill includes transgender people, but as House Democrats concede, it is much easier to pass a law punishing people for clubbing transgender people with a baseball bat than it is to require employers to hire them. Hence it is unlikely that ENDA is going to get through the Senate anytime soon.

But [Rep. Barney Frank] said Democratic leaders had to dump trans-gendered people from the ENDA in order to pass it in the House. The decision came after strategy sessions involving Frank, Pelosi, and Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, who chairs the committee that will mark up the ENDA bill Tuesday.

So far that argument is not flying with most gay activists. …

It isn’t flying with us, that’s for sure.