Can't write it any better than this:
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| "Laverne Cox" |
I was so moved by and proud of President Barack Obama's
history-making declaration yesterday with this sentence: "For me,
personally, I think it's important for me to go ahead and affirm that I
think that same-sex couples should be able to get married." This is
great news. Marriage equality is indeed an issue for transgender
Americans, as well, as evidenced by
Littleton v. Prange, and recently by
Nikki Araguz's case.
But while I believe in and am a huge supporter of marriage equality,
as a transgender woman of color, I recognize that there are arguably
bigger issues for my trans brothers and sisters, issues like employment
and health-care discrimination and violence against transgender people,
particularly trans women of color.
This is why I went to Albany, N.Y. Tuesday for Equality and Justice
Day. I wanted to lend my voice to the support of the passage of the
Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act (GENDA). Many transgender folks
are fighting for our lives and basic civil rights all over this
country, and to have those rights acknowledged by our legislature in the
state of New York right now. For the fifth year in a row, the state
assembly has passed GENDA, but the bill has yet to come to the floor for
a vote in the Senate. This bill is about acknowledging that trans
folks should have the same rights as everyone else. That's all. It's
simple. This is America. Equal access and opportunity are what we're
supposed to be about.
Laverne Cox Actress, producer and transgender advocate; co-creator and star, 'TRANSform Me' from the
Huffington Post.
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