Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition

Last updated
Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition
FoundedMay 30, 2003 (2003-05-30)
Location
Area served
Tennessee
Website ttpcweb.com

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition is a transgender and LGBTQ civil rights organization in the state of Tennessee in the United States of America. [1]

Contents

Overview

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) was founded on May 30, 2003, in Nashville, Tennessee, by Marisa Richmond and a group of concerned citizens. [2] It is a trans organized and trans led organization. It is inclusive of intersectional identities and identities both binary and nonbinary.

For over a decade, the TTPC has lobbied both for and against legislation affecting the transgender community of Tennessee. The organization has lobbied against a 2006 referendum to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, the Don't Say Gay bill sponsored in 2011 by Sen. Stacey Campfield and Rep. Bill Dunn, [3] [4] and other public issues. It endorsed Nashville mayor Karl Dean for re-election in 2011 and Megan Barry in 2017.

Active members engage in direct lobbying efforts, public education, and grassroots community organizing, as well as the community support expected from any trans organization. A member has run for office, and currently serves on a metro human rights commission.

TTPC has lobbied for and been instrumental in several high-profile moments for LGBT equality: the Federal Hate Crimes Law (October 2009) passed inclusively for LGBT individuals—four of the votes in favor of the law were from representatives in Tennessee; the CANDO [Contract Accountability Non-Discrimination Ordinance] ordinance in Nashville; and the changing of policy in places such as FedEx and Vanderbilt University to include non-discrimination of employees based on gender identity or expression. [5]

The organization was an outspoken opponent of a 2016 proposed law that would have required students in public schools and universities to use the restroom that corresponded with their assigned sex. Along with the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, and the Tennessee Equality Project, the TTPC was "highly critical" of the legislation, according to The Tennessean. [6] Ryan Wilson, a regional field organizer for the Human Rights Campaign, noted that the work of the TTPC was particularly influential because the group succeeded at "uniting state and national resources" to form "a powerful barrier against a number of bills which have died now that legislative session has ended. [7]

In August 2015, TTPC announced a community meeting in Johnson City, Tennessee. Following the meeting, a member of TTPC in partnership with local stakeholders, simultaneously worked to build a local transgender support group, organize the first inclusive public Transgender Day of Remembrance and fight an anti-child transgender bathroom bill sponsored by a legislator elected from the local area. All of these efforts were successful. Roe withdrew his sponsorship of the bill that year, though another legislator in a different part of the state picked it up. TTPC also assisted organizing hundreds of protestors showing up to attend a set of county commission meetings intending to vote on anti-marriage statements. Johnson City has since developed an actively supportive local culture for transgender people.

TTPC successfully fought bathroom bills and other assorted anti-trans and anti-LGBT bills in Tennessee in 2016 and 2017, [8] and actively plans to continue doing so into the future until it is no longer necessary.

The coalition has received funds from the Transgender Justice Funding Project. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or, depending on the version of the bill, gender identity, by employers with at least 15 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egale Canada</span> Canadian charity

Egale Canada is a Canadian charity founded in 1986 by Les McAfee to advance equality for Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people and their families, across Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Center for Transgender Equality</span> U.S. nonprofit organization

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling in Washington, D.C. The organization works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and media activism with the aim of advancing the equality of transgender people in the United States. Among other transgender-related issue areas, NCTE focuses on discrimination in employment, access to public accommodations, fair housing, identity documents, hate crimes and violence, criminal justice reform, federal research surveys and the Census, and health care access.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against transgender people</span> Violence or victimization against transgender people

Violence against transgender people includes emotional, physical, sexual, or verbal violence targeted towards transgender people. The term has also been applied to hate speech directed at transgender people and at depictions of transgender people in the media that reinforce negative stereotypes about them. Trans and non-binary gender adolescents can experience bashing in the form of bullying and harassment. When compared to their cisgender peers, trans and non-binary gender youth are at increased risk for victimisation, which has been shown to increase their risk of substance abuse.

The origin of the LGBT student movement can be linked to other activist movements from the mid-20th century in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement and Second-wave feminist movement were working towards equal rights for other minority groups in the United States. Though the student movement began a few years before the Stonewall riots, the riots helped to spur the student movement to take more action in the US. Despite this, the overall view of these gay liberation student organizations received minimal attention from contemporary LGBT historians. This oversight stems from the idea that the organizations were founded with haste as a result of the riots. Others historians argue that this group gives too much credit to groups that disagree with some of the basic principles of activist LGBT organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Utah</span>

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Utah's anti-sodomy law was invalidated in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas, and fully repealed by the state legislature in 2019. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBTQ people and the rest of the population, and the rights of transgender youth are restricted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in the United States</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the United States are among the most advanced in the world, with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition</span>

The 'Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) is an organization dedicated to ending discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. The MTPC educates the public, lobbies state and local government, and encourages political activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equality California</span> Non-profit civil rights organization

Equality California (EQCA) is a non-profit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT people in California. It is the largest statewide LGBT organization in the United States and the largest member of the Equality Federation. The organization is based in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT movements in the United States</span>

LGBT movements in the United States comprise an interwoven history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied social movements in the United States of America, beginning in the early 20th century. A commonly stated goal among these movements is social equality for LGBT people. Some have also focused on building LGBT communities or worked towards liberation for the broader society from biphobia, homophobia, and transphobia. LGBT movements organized today are made up of a wide range of political activism and cultural activity, including lobbying, street marches, social groups, media, art, and research. Sociologist Mary Bernstein writes: "For the lesbian and gay movement, then, cultural goals include challenging dominant constructions of masculinity and femininity, homophobia, and the primacy of the gendered heterosexual nuclear family (heteronormativity). Political goals include changing laws and policies in order to gain new rights, benefits, and protections from harm." Bernstein emphasizes that activists seek both types of goals in both the civil and political spheres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equality North Carolina</span>

Equality NC(ENC) is the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in North Carolina and is the oldest statewide LGBTQ equality organization in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Florida</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Florida have federal protections, but many face legal difficulties on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26, 2003, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since January 6, 2015. Discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations is outlawed following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. In addition, several cities and counties, comprising about 55 percent of Florida's population, have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. These include Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach, among others. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities in the state, mainly in the Miami metropolitan area, but has been struck down by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 2023, Lake Worth Beach, Florida became an official "LGBT sanctuary city" to protect and defend LGBT rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Tennessee</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Tennessee may experience some legal challenges that non-LGBTQ residents do not. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in the state since 1996. Marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples in Tennessee since the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in North Dakota</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of North Dakota may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in North Dakota, and same-sex couples and families headed by same-sex couples are eligible for all of the protections available to opposite-sex married couples; same-sex marriage has been legal since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. State statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal under federal law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Kentucky</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Kentucky still face some legal challenges not experienced by other people. Same-sex sexual activity in Kentucky has been legally permitted since 1992, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy statute for same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage is legal in Kentucky under the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. The decision, which struck down Kentucky's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriages and all other same-sex marriage bans elsewhere in the country, was handed down on June 26, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GATE (organization)</span> Transgender and intersex rights organization

Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) is an organisation and think tank on gender identity, sex characteristics and bodily diversity issues. The current executive director is Mauro Cabral Grinspan. Cabral Grinspan is an Argentinian intersex and trans activist, and signatory of the Yogyakarta Principles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Equality Project</span>

The Tennessee Equality Project is an LGBTQ organization in the United States state of Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equality Act (United States)</span> Bill to prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in the 117th Congress

The Equality Act was a bill in the United States Congress, that, if passed, would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service. The Supreme Court's June 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County protects gay and transgender people in matters of employment, but not in other respects. The Bostock ruling also covered the Altitude Express and Harris Funeral Homes cases.

A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination of their sex as defined in some specific way, such as their sex as assigned at birth, their sex as listed on their birth certificate, or the sex that corresponds to their gender identity. A bathroom bill can either be inclusive or exclusive of transgender individuals, depending on the aforementioned definition of their sex.

References

  1. "Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition". www.nashvillelgbtchamber.org.
  2. "Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition: On the front lines of equality". 5 October 2011.
  3. Pink News : Steve Brewer, "Tennessee proposes bill to ban gay awareness in schools", March 1, 2011, accessed July 4, 2011
  4. Pink News: Jessica Geen, "Anger over Tennessee's 'don’t say gay' bill", 28 April 2011, accessed July 4, 2011
  5. Ballotpedia: accessed August 23, 2017
  6. The Tennessean: "Transgender Bathroom Bill Dead for a Year", 18 April 2016, accessed August 23, 2017
  7. HRC: "Spending a Week in the Tennessee State Capitol with Local Advocates", 22 April 2016, accessed August 23, 2017
  8. Johnson City Press: accessed August 13, 2017
  9. Transgender Justice Funding Project: , accessed August 13, 2017