Jillian
Weiss, a transgender advocate and law professor at Ramapo College, said
“reassessment is always a useful exercise” in the wake of losses like
those in Kansas and North Carolina.
“There is also no question that efforts are being taken to address the problem in these states,” Weiss said. “However, the combination of victory blindness and failure to utilize and publicize the federal civil rights laws that already protect us have created fertile soil for the states’ rights backlash that we are now seeing.”
Weiss made the case LGBT advocates should immediately seek recourse in the federal court system, which has produced a growing number of victories in recent years in favor of LGBT rights.
“We ought to be in the federal courts of Kansas and North Carolina right now with top notch legal firms to fight these laws,” Weiss said. “Instead, we seem to be milling about in confusion. The truth is that the federal government, including the federal court system, is on our side right now. I myself have won a number of victories in very conservative courts on behalf of trans people in the last year. This should be known to all of our rights orgs. Why are we not taking advantage of this now?”
- See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/03/25/the-no-good-very-bad-week-for-lgbt-people/#sthash.QvRnqPBD.dpuf
“There is also no question that efforts are being taken to address the problem in these states,” Weiss said. “However, the combination of victory blindness and failure to utilize and publicize the federal civil rights laws that already protect us have created fertile soil for the states’ rights backlash that we are now seeing.”
Weiss made the case LGBT advocates should immediately seek recourse in the federal court system, which has produced a growing number of victories in recent years in favor of LGBT rights.
“We ought to be in the federal courts of Kansas and North Carolina right now with top notch legal firms to fight these laws,” Weiss said. “Instead, we seem to be milling about in confusion. The truth is that the federal government, including the federal court system, is on our side right now. I myself have won a number of victories in very conservative courts on behalf of trans people in the last year. This should be known to all of our rights orgs. Why are we not taking advantage of this now?”
- See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/03/25/the-no-good-very-bad-week-for-lgbt-people/#sthash.QvRnqPBD.dpuf
From The Washington Blade:
...But after those small victories, things quickly changed. On Tuesday, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law SB 175, a religious freedom bill that would allow religious organizations at public universities to deny membership to LGBT students. Brownback became the first governor in the nation to sign this year a measure enabling anti-LGBT discrimination.
An even bigger disappointment came the next day when the North Carolina Legislature, in retaliation over a recently approved pro-LGBT ordinance in Charlotte, rushed through in a special session House Bill 2 to undo all pro-LGBT protections in the state and prohibit transgender people from using public restrooms consistent with their gender identity. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory wasted no time in signing the measure, which has been dubbed the worst anti-LGBT law in the nation....
Jillian Weiss, a transgender advocate and law professor at Ramapo College, said “reassessment is always a useful exercise” in the wake of losses like those in Kansas and North Carolina.
“There is also no question that efforts are being taken to address the problem in these states,” Weiss said. “However, the combination of victory blindness and failure to utilize and publicize the federal civil rights laws that already protect us have created fertile soil for the states’ rights backlash that we are now seeing.”
Weiss made the case LGBT advocates should immediately seek recourse in the federal court system, which has produced a growing number of victories in recent years in favor of LGBT rights.
“We ought to be in the federal courts of Kansas and North Carolina right now with top notch legal firms to fight these laws,” Weiss said. “Instead, we seem to be milling about in confusion. The truth is that the federal government, including the federal court system, is on our side right now. I myself have won a number of victories in very conservative courts on behalf of trans people in the last year. This should be known to all of our rights orgs. Why are we not taking advantage of this now?”
- See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/03/25/the-no-good-very-bad-week-for-lgbt-people/#sthash.QvRnqPBD.dpuf
