I want the elections to be over. Elections are designed to make me fully understand how much I do not belong. Worse, I get the overpowering feeling that I will never belong!

It is always the same pattern with electoral campaigns. Candidates and parties start by telling us they really feel our pain, and want to fight for us. Then the issues that the election must address start to be pondered, identified, and, defined. For a short time in the electoral campaign you think these issues will be debated. However, soon after, it all comes down to having to watch how spineless candidates, grovel, trying to re-present and re-create themselves parading their ever-so-wholesome families to proof beyond a reasonable doubt, that they are 300% American. Whatever the fuck “American” means…it is made very clear that it is not me, that it will never be me.

So…here is a list of reasons electoral processes tell me how Un-American I am (Sorry I could not contain this list to a mere 10):

1.      I am an atheist. Apparently it does not matter my commitment and desire to make this country a better place for all. Loyalty is a mandate to worship a disaffected, warmonger, punitive, sexually repressed and sexually obsessed god.

2.      I am a Leftist.

3.      I belief we should actively and robustly pursue social justice. I believe this country should ask, and be told by its citizens what to do for its citizens (Yeah, screw JFK).

4.      Same set of rules for all citizens, all citizens first-class citizens, regardless of buying power, age, sex, language, ethnic background, sexual orientation, disability, religious or non-religious background, political or lack of political affiliation or gender representation.

5.      I believe poor people matter, you must talk about the poor and your plan to end poverty during your campaign.

6.      I do not hate immigrants and believe there must be a path to citizenship that is just and fair to all.

7.      I believe in a big government that will actively and loyally protect me from: Greedy Health insurers, Corrupt Banks, discriminatory and oppressive lending practices, exploitative employers, polluters, gentrifying and unscrupulous, real estate scalpers and the police.

8.      I believe in free Universal Single Payer Health Care and free education including Graduate School.

9.      I value education and deplore anti-intellectual rhetoric.

10.  I have contempt for mediocrity.

11.  I believe in a small government that will be out of my personal life, will stop spying on me and will not regulate my every day activities. From forbidding dance outdoors, to closing parks at night, to having a beer on a sidewalk! From entrapping people to criminalizing sex work, from telling me who to date and who I can marry (and divorce!), to telling me whether I can adopt or not.

12.  I oppose the Death penalty and oppose torture of prisoners, including prisoners of war.

13.  I am not a warmonger and I believe it is OK to question and criticize a president’s decision to go to war.

14.  I believe citizens have a right to organize and participate in the political life of the country.

15.  I believe all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, without facing harassment, discrimination or violence.

16.  I believe men should be able to marry men and women should be able to marry women, even if they never have to visit one another in a hospital!

17.  I greatly enjoy having non-marital, non-procreational sex in many different positions.

18.  I live and thrive in a big city.

19.  I do not feel more threatened by Muslims than by Christians.

20. I am a feminist

21. I am Latino

22. I am queer

23.  I donate and ask you to donate to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project.

I was perusing through Lady Bunny’s blog page, when I ran into the Ellen DeGeneres video addressing the murder of Lawrence King, 15 who was killed by a 16 year old classmate. I’ve seen the video in many other blog sites after that. I was genuinely touched by Ellen’s plea for all of us to “change the message” as well as for her important declaration, that neither Larry King, a 15 year old gender non-conforming adolescent (who self-identified as gay) nor herself, a 50 year old white gender non-conforming person are second class citizens. And, isn’t that what we all strive for? First Class Citizenship, not the other one(s). We know too well the differences. These differences are shoved in our faces most days of our lives. They are mainly shown to us through exclusions, exclusions from neighborhoods, exclusions from families, exclusions from peace, exclusions from better (or any) jobs, exclusion from political candidates’ speeches and national parties platforms, exclusion from the basic definition of human being. This list can go on, and on, and on.

But what is “the message” that must be changed? Or who is sending it? I propose the answer to this is very complex. Recently The Advocate tried to address the issue from a different perspective, wondering whether we, as a community (LGBT) are sending mixed messages. This effort, I am sure was as well intended as misguided, and has elicit several responses. However, I think is worthy to explore what messages our allies and we as a community are sending that may be supportive of the idea that gender non-conforming folks as well as trans folks are indeed second class citizens, therefore unworthy. This is where Senator Kennedy fits in this post. Senator Kennedy announced he will push ENDA in the senate without protections for trans or gender non-conforming folks. Bill Browning at The Bilerico Project asked the right question:

“George W has already said he’d veto the legislation. Today’s million dollar question? What’s the rush if it’s not going to make it into law to start with? Why alienate a large segment of the LGBT community? “

I propose that the issue of ENDA and the staunch opposition to include transgender protections from employment discrimination by some elected officials that we consider allies, as well as some LG groups indeed sends a message. It says to me that trans and gender non-conforming folks are indeed second class citizens even within their/our own communities.

The rift caused across our communities nationally as well as the angry tone (on both sides,) for or against gender expression protections in this legislation, contributes to an environment that may be more fertile for transphobes and their ilk, to act on their hate, or contempt of trans and gender non-conforming people. The opposition by congress to listen to a huge coalition of groups and individuals that demanded the restoration of protections to trans and gender nonconforming folks indeed sends the wrong message, it establishes a hierarchy, it shows who is disposable, it shows who we are willing to alienate.

We can make a list of groups we alienate, immigrants of color; people on the sex-work industry; homeless people, transgender people, poor people, and a common characteristic we will find is how much violence these groups face on a daily basis. The level of alienation from society and the lack of protections society extends to its first class citizens becomes evident as the violence becomes endemic to their being.

I am not saying Senator Kennedy, or Congressman Frank or even the Human Rights Campaign Fund, want this as a result of their dismissal of trans people. I am not saying that because of their unwillingness to stand up to trans phobia and gender expression discrimination, violence is inflicted on these groups. What I am saying is that every time a politician fails to stand up and include gender expression in a diversity curriculum in school, every time a politician says she/he does not “understand” this thing about gender expression, there is a message. Every time an executive director goes back in his words and refuses to use his/her organization’s resources to include transgender people and there is NO consequences, there is, again the message, loud and clear: Transgender people are expendable; we will not go the extra mile for them; we can lie to or betray them without serious consequences; these messages whether intended or not can contribute to the climate of intolerance against transgender individuals. I’ve seen some very angry letters demanding restoration of transgender protections to ENDA, I have also seen some very hateful letters opposing it. In such climate of intolerance, violence thrives. We should be aware of this.

p.s. For the record Cyborg Yoryie only supports a strong ENDA with protections for gender identity and expression included in the legislation.