Unity in the Queen City
Mark Twain once said, (paraphrased) “If the world ends, I want to be in Cincinnati, because they won’t hear about it for another 2 weeks.” Anti-discrimination laws are nothing really new in the United States, but we’re just now considering one in Cincinnati.
It’s actually been a long time coming. The City had one, then they didn’t have one, and now, we apparently can have one again.
I did send a note to Gary Wright, with Equality Cincinnati, to thank him for including transgender in their lobbying efforts. I also apologized for not being more active in the community.
Here’s his response:
Ronnie – Thank you very much for your support. We are fortunate that
transgendered is already in the hate crimes law, so there is already a
precedent. As for activism in your community, I think that takes a
great deal more courage and is riskier than what gays and lesbians now
face, so I for one would not underestimate the courage it takes in our
society just to be yourself.
How many other cities include transgendered people in hate crime statutes, and discrimination ordinances?
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About the Author (Author Profile)
Ronnie Rho has been writing for Transgender Forum since May of 1999. One of these days, she'll get it right. She's been described as the "world's most famous recluse," but only by people who don't know her very well. She is unmarried, and lives in Cincinnati.Subscribe
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Here’s a chart from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force on “Jurisdictions with Explicitly Transgender-Inclusive Anti-Discrimination Laws. (It’s a .pdf, so you’ll need Adobe Reader.)
According to the chart, such laws are in effect in eight states and the District of Columbia, and 76 counties and cities (including, as I posted elsewhere, Peoria IL). Twenty percent of the population is covered by such laws and eighty percent remains uncovered.