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TAVA
Press Release on ENDA
For
Immediate Release: October 13, 2007
Press
Release: The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
From: Monica F. Helms, President and Co-Founder
of The Transgender American Veterans Association
(TAVA)
Email Contact:president@tavausa.org
TAVA Website:
http://www.tavausa.org
There
has never been a moment in the five-year history
of this organization where we had to step
forward and put our very existence on the line.
The events of the last three weeks have changed
all of that.
As
a 501 (c)3 organization that specifically
focuses on veterans’ issues, we are not
allowed to be “political.” Some people
may say that supporting a fully-inclusive
Employment Non-Discrimination Act and opposing
any bill that excludes transgender people maybe
consider “political.” The Board of
TAVA disagrees. We see this as a matter of
survival for the transgender community and TAVA
will do what we can to fight for that survival.
History
has shown us that since this country has begun,
transgender people have fought in every war this
country had. Some crossed gender lines so
they could fight for this country, and others
cross gender lines after they fought in various
wars. No matter what, they were proud of
their service our nation.
“Honor,
duty and country.” Everyone who has
served America proudly understands these words
all too well. However, we are now
witnessing people who have no honor, show only
the duty to serve themselves and envision a
country where their needs are met over everyone
else’s. As veterans, this saddens
us greatly.
There
are estimated to be three million Americans who
happen to be transgender people, with 300,000 of
them being veterans. Many of them are
without jobs and are living on welfare.
Some, who retired from the military are
surviving on their retirement check that comes
once a month, but that hardly pays for much in
this day and age.
The
Transgender American Veterans Association
implores all who read this that on Monday,
October 15 to start calling the Democratic Party
members of the House Education and Labor
Committee. You can find them at:
http://edlabor.house.gov/about/members.shtml.
Ask them to send only a fully-inclusive
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (HR-2015) to
the House floor for a vote in Thursday instead
of the flawed version, HR-3685. That
version will not only leave out Transgender
Americans, but many others who do not confirm to
society’s gender norms, regardless of their
sexual orientation.
We
especially would like to see all veterans,
regardless of their sexual orientation or gender
identity, contact the House Education and Labor
Committee to help save those veterans who may
have saved your life in the heat of combat.
We put our lives on the line to give time to
this country. Now, we ask you to put time
on the line to save our lives. TAVA thanks
you.
Founded
in 2003, the Transgender American Veterans
Association (TAVA) is a 501 (c) 3 organization
that acts proactively with other concerned civil
rights and human rights organizations to ensure
that transgender veterans will receive
appropriate care for their medical conditions in
accordance with the Veterans Health
Administration’s Customer Service Standards
promise to “treat you with courtesy and
dignity . . . as the first class citizen that
you are.” Further, TAVA will help
in educating the Department of Veterans Affairs
(DVA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) on
issues regarding fair and equal treatment of
transgender individuals. Also, TAVA will
help the general transgender community when
deemed appropriate and within the IRS
guidelines. |
