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Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Obama #4: Integrity

I went to see President Obama speak in Green Bay yesterday, and was lucky enough to have a ticket that got me very close to the stage. It was on the tarmac of Green Bay’s airport, and Air Force One flew him in.

And after giving a very cool, new stump speech, he shook a few hands, including mine.

photo by Mary Lisa Carenza Keenan

And I thought, as I watched him continue around the circle of people who were clamoring to shake his hand, that I could not think of anyone, right now, who I admire more than him. (Here are some more pictures of that event.)

It’s an amazing thing to get to look your own president in the eye. More amazing still to feel him squeeze your hand. His warmth came across powerfully, and the smart in his eyes is unmistakeable. That man’s got a deep soul; he is, as people who believe in that sort of thing would say, an old soul.

But the source of my admiration isn’t all of that. It’s that he believes – and has put into place – policy that makes my life as a queer person and as the partner of a trans person one of dignity and respect. I feel actually equal and a little less scared living in a world where this White House gets to set policy on how I should be treated by my government and by the people around me.

He is the first president to say the word “transgender” in a speech. He got rid of DADT. He has refused to defend the hateful, unequal citizenship of DOMA. And after learning more about us queer folks, he changed his mind about same sex marriage for citizens of this country.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I believe in him as a president and as a leader. He has set a tone for this entire country that I am not to be less equal because of who I am or who I am married to.

And while I do understand that people are worried about economics, I only have this to say: economic decisions are always, also, moral ones, and this man has been stitching our social safety net for the four years he has been in office and has plans to make sure those stitches hold.

I’ll write more tomorrow about economics and their place in this election.

But I will say: if you believe that it is my citizenship and not my sexuality that should count, vote for Obama. If you believe that it is my humanity and not my gender that should count, vote for Obama. And if you believe that it is my patriotism, and my deep, deep love for a country where someone like me can live unafraid and proud of my love and my life, that matters, vote for Obama.

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President Obama’s Accomplishments for Transgender Americans

President Obama’s Accomplishments for Transgender Americans is a new document (pdf) that you can download to print or send to your friends & family.

In honor of these accomplishments & to celebrate President Obama’s speech tonight, do consider donating to his campaign.

President Obama has taken unprecedented steps to expand rights, benefits, and resources for transgender people. From jobs and health care to veterans’ benefits and safer working, learning and traveling environments, the well-being of transgender Americans has been a priority of this Administration.

PRESIDENT OBAMA TOOK PIVOTAL STEPS TO ENSURE THAT TRANSGENDER AMERICANS HAVE STRONGER PROTECTIONS AGAINST HATE CRIMES AND DISCRIMINATION

  • On October 28, 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law, making it a federal crime to assault another individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. This is the first time gender identity has been protected by federal law.
  • Obama Administration Officials have collaborated with transgender advocates to discuss strategies to prevent bullying and end gender-based violence.
  • The State Department now includes an evaluation of the state of LGBT citizens in its annual country reports, in order to better identify abuses, state-sanctioned homophobia and transphobia overseas.

PRESIDENT OBAMA TOOK STEPS TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTS ARE SAFER FOR TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES

  • The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarified that Title VII sex discrimination law covers transgender workers.
  • The Obama Administration ended the Social Security Administration’s gender “no-match” letters, helping to protect the privacy of transgender workers.
  • President Obama sent the first U.S. Executive Branch official to testify before Congress in support of the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • President Obama banned employment discrimination based on gender identity in the federal government.
  • President Obama‘s Office of Personnel Management produced and distributed guidance to promote safer federal working environments for transgender employees.

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS WORKED TO SAFEGUARD TRANSGENDER YOUTH FROM BULLYING AND HARASSMENT IN SCHOOLS

  • President Obama worked with educators across the nation to prevent bullying and his Department of Education clarified that laws enforced by the department include protections against gender and sexual harassment of transgender students.
  • President Obama’s Secretary Of Education reaffirmed federal support of young people forming Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) under the Equal Access Act.

FROM VETERANS TO FAMILIES, PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS IMPROVED ACCESS TO RESPECTFUL, QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR TRANSGENDER AMERICANS

  • The Department Of Health and Human Services confirmed that federal health care programs and those receiving federal funds are barred from discriminating against transgender people.
  • President Obama required all hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds to recognize a patient’s designated partner, both for hospital visitation and decision-making rights, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • The Department of Health and Human Services is collecting health data on LGBT populations in an effort to help researchers, policy makers, health care providers, and advocates identify and work to reduce health disparities in the community.
  • Under President Obama’s leadership, the Veterans Health Administration established policy to ensure comprehensive and respectful health care to the transgender and intersex Veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system or who are otherwise eligible for VA care.
  • The Veterans Health Administration now allows transgender veterans to update their medical records according to their gender identity.
  • The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced grant opportunities to address HIV health care quality specifically for transgender women of color, a demographic disproportionately limited by quality care.
  • The Affordable Care Act bans discrimination on the basis of gender identity in operating insurance exchanges.

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO ADDRESS THE UNIQUE DISCRIMINATION FACED BY TRANSGENDER AMERICANS SEEKING SAFE, EQUAL HOUSING

  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced new anti-discrimination rules in federally funded housing prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • HUD’s Live Free fair housing education and outreach campaign specifically targeted the transgender community, to inform them of their resources and rights to report discrimination.
  • The Obama Administration has set a goal of ending youth homelessness, including LGBT youth homelessness, by 2020, and has awarded a $3.3 million grant to the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center to begin to address LGBT youth homelessness.

UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA’S LEADERSHIP, TRANSGENDER AMERICANS AND THEIR INTERNATIONAL LOVED ONES ARE NOW ALLOWED PASSPORTS AND IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR GENDER IDENTITY

  • The State Department now allows transgender Americans to update their passport gender markers without requiring invasive medical procedures.
  • The Obama Administration updated the nation’s immigration procedures to allow transgender people to update and record their gender on immigration documents without being required to undergo invasive medical procedures.

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS EXEMPLIFIED ACROSS HIS ADMINISTRATION HIS UNPRECEDENTED COMMITMENT TO INCREASED VISIBILITY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT FOR THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY

  • President Obama appointed three openly transgender people to serve in his administration, making him the first president ever to do so.
  • The U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan became the first U.S. Cabinet Secretary to address a transgender-specific community event.