There is gender diversity and earlier this year, the
World Health Organization has finally removed "gender identity disorder" from its list of illnesses. The American Medical Association and other medical, mental health, and health care organizations have stated, "
...We now recognize that being transgender “implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities”—and that stigmatizing transgender people also causes significant harm." Up till now, sadly, there are still plenty of people who cling to the wrong notion that gender diversity is a disorder. Transgender individuals have lost their lives. Some have been the object of scorn and hatred.
In the county I live in, we even had candidates for the school board who were openly disdainful of transgenders. Fairfax county still has a lot to do to protect transgender individuals. A
recent report by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation gives a failing mark to Fairfax county:
Unlike neighboring Arlington and Alexandria, Fairfax receives failing marks because of a lack of laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Fairfax likewise does poorly in providing services, law enforcement, and supporting leadership in LGBTQ communities. This should not be surprising especially when one notes that in the recently concluded school board election, there were candidates focused on the issue of denying LGBTQ their rights and protection.
It seems straightforward to accept that LGBTQ individuals are entitled to the same rights and protection we have. Oftentimes, we assume that we can impose our beliefs on others. Self-righteousness can be blinding. We likewise treat everything as a zero-sum game. It takes a lot of effort to keep reminding ourselves that: "Equal rights for others does not mean less rights for you. It's not pie." And yes, this is surely something we need to teach our children so that they would finally live in a world that is kind and fair to everyone.
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| Above copied from NOW |
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