Neither will a hate crime law.

And while an anti-discrimination law – even a legitimate one (unlike the ones currently in force in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Maryland, New York and Delaware) – will not do so either, it will substantially decrease the likelihood that a trans person will be in a position where stopping a bullet (or a knife) is the perpetual top life agenda item.

We do vary in some areas of our thinking. Since transgender people are often LGB, the political agenda advanced in the name of LGBT rights – same-sex marriage or “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – DO have direct relevance to our communities. In Maryland, many transgender activists worked for the passage of same sex marriage because it was the right thing to do.

Yes, I know DADT stupidly left standing discrimination against transgender folks and that is still an outrage, but it seems illogical to me that we should call for the discrimination of others when we really want equality for all.

It is my hope that we do not take away from the equality gains of one segment of our community to highlight the needs within another. It is also my hope that when equality is being sought, transgender people aren’t thrown under the bus. We need to be unified in fighting discrimination at all levels, not just the discrimination that affects only “our” segment of the community. That kind of intentional separation is acknowledging that inequality is somehow okay… repeating the sin that we are all fighting against.