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Fairness USA
Fairness USA
title? +
:60 TV to run nationally July 21, 2016 on FOX News during the Republican National Convention and a week later on MSNBC during the Democratic National Convention.
[Music]
Woman:
I'm
a
transgender
woman.
I was born with a male body but inside I
always knew I was female. So I transitioned, and now I live every
day as the woman I've always known myself to be.
It can be hard to understand what it means to be
transgender, especially if you've never met a transgender person.
In most states our laws don't protect transgender
people from discrimination in public places or when it comes to using
the restroom, something we all need to do everyday.
I have lived as a woman for many years. Most
people, when they stop and think about it, they realize that when
businesses can legally force me to use the men's room, it puts me at
risk for harassment and violence.
Safety and privacy in bathrooms are important for
all of us. It's already illegal to enter a restroom to harm
someone, and anyone who does that can and should be arrested.
Updating the law to protect gay and transgender
people from discrimination won't change that, but it would help to
ensure that people like me aren't mistreated when we need to do
something as basic as using the restroom.
Notes: The press
release:
National TV Ad Depicting Transgender Discrimination to Premiere During Republican National Convention
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A groundbreaking ad depicting
the challenges faced by transgender people in accessing public
restrooms—and highlighting the lack of state and federal
nondiscrimination protections for transgender people—will have its
national television debut on FOX News Channel next Thursday, July 21,
during the final night of the Republican National Convention in
Cleveland, Ohio. The ad will air nationwide again on MSNBC during the
Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia one week later.
The 60-second ad, which will be seen all across
the country, features a transgender woman from North Carolina,
where HB2 passed earlier this year. HB2 makes it illegal for
transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings that match the
gender they live every day, making them susceptible to even higher
levels of harassment and violence.
The ad can be viewed now at www.FairnessUSA.org.
The
growing national conversation about transgender people comes at a
watershed moment. More than 200 bills targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) people were introduced in dozens of states
during the 2016 legislative session. Many of these bills were intended
specifically to harm transgender people.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald
Trump,
has offered varying opinions on the issue of transgender rights, but
stated that HB2 has caused "a lot of problems" and that transgender
people should "use the bathroom they feel is appropriate," adding that
this policy has worked well for years. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz ran
glaringly anti-transgender campaign ads, only to see his presidential
campaign plummet shortly afterwards.
However, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Sen. Rob
Portman
of Ohio—both of whom have children who are transgender or gay—are among
a growing number of elected Republicans who strongly support protecting
LGBT people from discrimination. On Friday, Republican Gov. Charlie
Baker of Massachusetts
signed into law a bill that ensures explicit protections for
transgender people in public places, including restrooms. That bill
passed the legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support earlier
this summer, and Baker had previously indicated that he would sign it.
"Transgender
people desperately need laws that protect us from being unfairly fired
from our jobs, kicked out of our homes, and denied access to public
bathrooms, just because of who we are," said Mara Keisling, Executive
Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Our newly released survey data shows
that 59 percent of transgender people avoided bathrooms in the last
year out of fear of harassment. A shocking one in ten (12%) transgender
people reported being harassed, attacked, or sexually assaulted in a
bathroom, and one third avoided drinking or eating so that they did not
need to use the restroom. Eight percent have had medical problems like
urinary or kidney infections from avoiding the restroom."
"Most Americans want to do the right thing, but they have
never met
a transgender person, so they have misconceptions," said Ineke
Mushovic,
Executive Director of the Movement Advancement Project, which developed
the ad. "This ad cuts through the political rhetoric and simply asks
people to consider the serious challenges and discrimination faced by
transgender people—discrimination that is still legal in most states."
The Movement Advancement Project released a policy report today providing
a
fact-based
analysis
of
restroom access, nondiscrimination laws, and
restrictive bathroom laws such as North Carolina's HB2.
"Around
the country, LGBT Americans continue to fall victim to attacks and
discrimination, in our lives and at every level of government. That is
especially true for transgender Americans, who are being singled out
and targeted by legislators for exclusion from public places and
facilities," said Matt McTighe,
executive director of Freedom for All Americans Education Fund.
"Transgender equality is about human dignity and respect for all
people. No one should be banned from something as basic as using the
restroom. We hope this ad helps educate the millions of Americans
watching the conventions and anyone who has not yet had an opportunity
to meet and get to know a transgender person."
The ad was funded by Fairness USA, a partnership led by the Freedom for All Americans Education Fund, the Movement Advancement Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Equality Ohio Education Fund, with support from the Equality Federation Institute, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.