2017 reports
The Trump Administration has attacked the LGBTQ community on
another front. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has filed a legal
brief seeking to undermine a growing legal consensus that
LGBTQ people are protected from discrimination under Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It would reverse former U.S.
Attorney General Eric Holder’s assertion that discrimination on the
basis of gender identity is prohibited under Title VII. As a result,
DOJ would no longer enforce civil rights laws on behalf of LGBTQ
people, a move that could have dangerous influence on federal
court cases across the country.
another front. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has filed a legal
brief seeking to undermine a growing legal consensus that
LGBTQ people are protected from discrimination under Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It would reverse former U.S.
Attorney General Eric Holder’s assertion that discrimination on the
basis of gender identity is prohibited under Title VII. As a result,
DOJ would no longer enforce civil rights laws on behalf of LGBTQ
people, a move that could have dangerous influence on federal
court cases across the country.
Unedited text of speech by Keith E Goslant/Liaison LGBTQIA Alliance of VT
Rights and Democracy Rally 29th July 2017
VT Statehouse
Good afternoon huddled masses yearning for affordable healthcare.
First, thank you to Rights and Democracy for the invitation to speak and for the inclusion of VT’s LGBTQIA communities in today’s rally.
As you may have noticed, this has not been a great week for the LGBTQIA communities.
We woke Wednesday morning, which also happened to be the 69th anniversary of President Truman desegregating the military, to read a series of tweets demonstrating the strong anti-LGBTQIA beliefs of the current Federal Regimen and their willingness to act on those beliefs.
For those who did not happen to see the tweets, and to both of you I say, this is the language contained in those tweets:
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”
OutServ estimates there are currently 15 thousand transgender people serving in the military.
In the year since the ban has been lifted, there have been no reports of disruption in military readiness or cohesiveness.
If I am willing and physically able to serve, and am willing for forego my fashion sense to wear olive drab and camouflage, I deserve the right to serve.
But, let's look at the information that is available regarding the Pentagon's budget:
Base budget: 496 Billion
Personnel: 135 Billion
The 2016 Rand study estimated the cost of healthcare for transgender personnel to be between 2.5 and 8.4 million.
Viagra (yes, the little blue pill): 41.6 Million
Cialis (because we want to support the free market): 22.8 Million
On this same day, that action was followed by The U.S. Justice Department filing an amicus brief (friend of the court) in a private employment case alleging employment discrimination based on anti-gay discrimination. The Federal brief essentially states anti-LGBTQ discrimination is lawful under current federal civil rights law.
In their 23-page brief, the Justice Department under U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rejected the interpretation that sexual-orientation discrimination is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
As quoted, the brief says, “The essential element of sex discrimination under Title VII is that employees of one sex must be treated worse than similarly situated employees of the other sex, and sexual orientation discrimination simply does not have that effect,”. “Moreover, whatever this Court would say about the question, were it writing on a blank slate, Congress has made clear through its actions and inactions in this area that Title VII’s prohibition of sex discrimination does not encompass sexual orientation discrimination. Other statutes and rules may prohibit such discrimination, but Title VII does not do so as a matter of law, and whether it should do so as a matter of policy remains a question for Congress to decide.”
And because good news always runs in three:
On this same Wednesday, 45 nominated Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas as the Global Ambassador for Religious Freedom.
Some of Gov. Brownback’s, who has the second least favorability rating of all US Governors, actions have included:
In 2016, Brownback legalized discrimination in state universities by signing the Campus Religious Freedom Bill. Previously, student groups were required to follow their schools’ antidiscrimination policies, which often protected LGBT people. Under the new law, Brownback said religious student groups could “establish religious beliefs as qualification for membership.”
In 2015 Gov. Brownback rolled back the protections for LGBT state employees that had been implemented in 2007 via an executive order by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Gov. Brownback removed sexual orientation and gender identity from the antidiscrimination policy with his own Executive Order.
Kansas, under Brownback’s direction, moved significantly slower than other states to recognize full marriages equality after the 2015 Supreme Court decision. Also in 2015, Brownback effectively legalized discrimination against same-sex couples at homeless shelters and adoption agencies.
In response to Governor Brownback’s actions, California earlier this year banned state employees from traveling to Kansas.
But, this is a rally about health care and the current healthcare proposals being debated in Washington.
One of the many ways that the current drafts would be particularly disastrous for queer people is among its most monstrous provisions: that rape and domestic abuse will now be considered a pre-existing condition. That means that victims & survivors of assault could be priced out of the healthcare market, with insurance companies being given a green light to charge essentially unaffordable high rates for coverage.
That’s obviously a huge concern for the women’s community who have struggled to achieve recognition, protections, and support for victims & survivors of domestic and sexual violence. But as queer people we are also at heightened risk for assault, particularly our transgender people. The proposed Republican plan yanks the rug out from under thousands of victims and survivors, survivors such as myself, essentially telling us that if we’re the victims of rape or an abusive partner, we’ll be unable to afford health care for as long as their plan is in effect.
Trans people will suffer particularly harshly under the current Republican plans, in part because of how it would withhold money from Planned Parenthood. Specifically, Planned Parenthood clinics would be denied Medicaid reimbursements, not just for reproductive services, but for any procedure. That includes transition counseling and therapy for many transgender people who simply can’t get care anywhere else. And, just this week, we have seen a failed attempt by the House Freedom Caucus to restrict the use of federal funds to pay for reassignment procedures in the military.
It’s shocking but true, as I am told, the current Republican plan offers no coverage for HIV. Under their proposal, Medicaid would only cover patients with clinically diagnosed AIDS; a condition that only develops when HIV has been in a person’s system, or left untreated, for an extended period of time.
In other words, people who are HIV+ and need Medicaid won’t be able to access active treatment, including PrEp that prevents progression, unless they let their condition worsen. Rather than treating the virus as soon as possible, the current Republican plan forces people to become significantly ill before they’ll get coverage; this would be a policy that will cost more money in the long run, and more lives. And, again, what will be the full impact of withholding funding for Planned Parenthood have on HIV prevention education and services.
According to the Center for American Progress, nearly 2 million LGBTQI people have Medicaid. But the current plan would yank their care away by tightening restrictions on who could enroll, leaving many with no affordable option for coverage. The ACA’s provisions went a long way by instituting nondiscrimination policies and reaching out to underserved populations. But the current administration has ceased collecting data about LGBT Americans, and are creating new rules to block low-income people from enrolling. That’s a particular problem for queer people, since we’re disproportionately likely to be uninsured and underpaid. Fifteen percent of transgender people report making less than $10,000 per year, a rate of poverty that is nearly four times that of the general population.
It’s still unclear exactly how the current proposals would handle nondiscrimination policies, but, based on their actions this week, it is clear the current Federal Regimen has signaled that it will do nothing to protect LGBT people in general. In fact, it has shown they are prepared to set back the social and legislative protections that have been extended to the LGBTQIA communities. Currently, the ACA blocks discrimination by hospitals or insurers. But, based on the actions of the current Federal Regimen, there could soon be a day when people are turned away from a doctor or hospital simply because of to whom they married.
In closing, I am thankful that I am a member of VT’s LGBTQIA communities…and the Vermont community in general. Vermont, where our political leaders stand up and say the words we need to hear that tell us that we are all included,” Tweet Others as You Would Like to be Tweeted”, that we all have value, we are each other’s neighbors and families, and that we will continue to stand united.
RESIST
Thank you
Rights and Democracy Rally 29th July 2017
VT Statehouse
Good afternoon huddled masses yearning for affordable healthcare.
First, thank you to Rights and Democracy for the invitation to speak and for the inclusion of VT’s LGBTQIA communities in today’s rally.
As you may have noticed, this has not been a great week for the LGBTQIA communities.
We woke Wednesday morning, which also happened to be the 69th anniversary of President Truman desegregating the military, to read a series of tweets demonstrating the strong anti-LGBTQIA beliefs of the current Federal Regimen and their willingness to act on those beliefs.
For those who did not happen to see the tweets, and to both of you I say, this is the language contained in those tweets:
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”
OutServ estimates there are currently 15 thousand transgender people serving in the military.
In the year since the ban has been lifted, there have been no reports of disruption in military readiness or cohesiveness.
If I am willing and physically able to serve, and am willing for forego my fashion sense to wear olive drab and camouflage, I deserve the right to serve.
But, let's look at the information that is available regarding the Pentagon's budget:
Base budget: 496 Billion
Personnel: 135 Billion
The 2016 Rand study estimated the cost of healthcare for transgender personnel to be between 2.5 and 8.4 million.
Viagra (yes, the little blue pill): 41.6 Million
Cialis (because we want to support the free market): 22.8 Million
On this same day, that action was followed by The U.S. Justice Department filing an amicus brief (friend of the court) in a private employment case alleging employment discrimination based on anti-gay discrimination. The Federal brief essentially states anti-LGBTQ discrimination is lawful under current federal civil rights law.
In their 23-page brief, the Justice Department under U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rejected the interpretation that sexual-orientation discrimination is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
As quoted, the brief says, “The essential element of sex discrimination under Title VII is that employees of one sex must be treated worse than similarly situated employees of the other sex, and sexual orientation discrimination simply does not have that effect,”. “Moreover, whatever this Court would say about the question, were it writing on a blank slate, Congress has made clear through its actions and inactions in this area that Title VII’s prohibition of sex discrimination does not encompass sexual orientation discrimination. Other statutes and rules may prohibit such discrimination, but Title VII does not do so as a matter of law, and whether it should do so as a matter of policy remains a question for Congress to decide.”
And because good news always runs in three:
On this same Wednesday, 45 nominated Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas as the Global Ambassador for Religious Freedom.
Some of Gov. Brownback’s, who has the second least favorability rating of all US Governors, actions have included:
In 2016, Brownback legalized discrimination in state universities by signing the Campus Religious Freedom Bill. Previously, student groups were required to follow their schools’ antidiscrimination policies, which often protected LGBT people. Under the new law, Brownback said religious student groups could “establish religious beliefs as qualification for membership.”
In 2015 Gov. Brownback rolled back the protections for LGBT state employees that had been implemented in 2007 via an executive order by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Gov. Brownback removed sexual orientation and gender identity from the antidiscrimination policy with his own Executive Order.
Kansas, under Brownback’s direction, moved significantly slower than other states to recognize full marriages equality after the 2015 Supreme Court decision. Also in 2015, Brownback effectively legalized discrimination against same-sex couples at homeless shelters and adoption agencies.
In response to Governor Brownback’s actions, California earlier this year banned state employees from traveling to Kansas.
But, this is a rally about health care and the current healthcare proposals being debated in Washington.
One of the many ways that the current drafts would be particularly disastrous for queer people is among its most monstrous provisions: that rape and domestic abuse will now be considered a pre-existing condition. That means that victims & survivors of assault could be priced out of the healthcare market, with insurance companies being given a green light to charge essentially unaffordable high rates for coverage.
That’s obviously a huge concern for the women’s community who have struggled to achieve recognition, protections, and support for victims & survivors of domestic and sexual violence. But as queer people we are also at heightened risk for assault, particularly our transgender people. The proposed Republican plan yanks the rug out from under thousands of victims and survivors, survivors such as myself, essentially telling us that if we’re the victims of rape or an abusive partner, we’ll be unable to afford health care for as long as their plan is in effect.
Trans people will suffer particularly harshly under the current Republican plans, in part because of how it would withhold money from Planned Parenthood. Specifically, Planned Parenthood clinics would be denied Medicaid reimbursements, not just for reproductive services, but for any procedure. That includes transition counseling and therapy for many transgender people who simply can’t get care anywhere else. And, just this week, we have seen a failed attempt by the House Freedom Caucus to restrict the use of federal funds to pay for reassignment procedures in the military.
It’s shocking but true, as I am told, the current Republican plan offers no coverage for HIV. Under their proposal, Medicaid would only cover patients with clinically diagnosed AIDS; a condition that only develops when HIV has been in a person’s system, or left untreated, for an extended period of time.
In other words, people who are HIV+ and need Medicaid won’t be able to access active treatment, including PrEp that prevents progression, unless they let their condition worsen. Rather than treating the virus as soon as possible, the current Republican plan forces people to become significantly ill before they’ll get coverage; this would be a policy that will cost more money in the long run, and more lives. And, again, what will be the full impact of withholding funding for Planned Parenthood have on HIV prevention education and services.
According to the Center for American Progress, nearly 2 million LGBTQI people have Medicaid. But the current plan would yank their care away by tightening restrictions on who could enroll, leaving many with no affordable option for coverage. The ACA’s provisions went a long way by instituting nondiscrimination policies and reaching out to underserved populations. But the current administration has ceased collecting data about LGBT Americans, and are creating new rules to block low-income people from enrolling. That’s a particular problem for queer people, since we’re disproportionately likely to be uninsured and underpaid. Fifteen percent of transgender people report making less than $10,000 per year, a rate of poverty that is nearly four times that of the general population.
It’s still unclear exactly how the current proposals would handle nondiscrimination policies, but, based on their actions this week, it is clear the current Federal Regimen has signaled that it will do nothing to protect LGBT people in general. In fact, it has shown they are prepared to set back the social and legislative protections that have been extended to the LGBTQIA communities. Currently, the ACA blocks discrimination by hospitals or insurers. But, based on the actions of the current Federal Regimen, there could soon be a day when people are turned away from a doctor or hospital simply because of to whom they married.
In closing, I am thankful that I am a member of VT’s LGBTQIA communities…and the Vermont community in general. Vermont, where our political leaders stand up and say the words we need to hear that tell us that we are all included,” Tweet Others as You Would Like to be Tweeted”, that we all have value, we are each other’s neighbors and families, and that we will continue to stand united.
RESIST
Thank you