NGL Task Force applauds passage of Trans laws in Detroit and Kansas City

NGL Task Force applauds passage of Trans laws in Detroit and Kansas City

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force applauded the Detroit City Council's passage April 9 of an ordinance banning discrimination against Transgender people by an 8-1 vote. The measure's passage comes on the heels of last week's victory in Kansas City, Mo., where the City Council unanimously passed an identical ban. The Task Force's Transgender Civil Rights Project played an instrumental role in these victories by providing legislative drafting assistance on both measures. In addition, Detroit (2008) and Kansas City (2006) were both recent hosts of the Task Force's National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, which provides Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights activists with comprehensive, top-notch organizing and skills-building opportunities. The conference was an impetus for passage of both laws. The Task Force applauds Triangle Foundation and ACLU Michigan for today's victory in Detroit, and Four Freedoms Democratic Club, PROMO and the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri for the win in Kansas City, Mo. The following is a statement by Rea Carey, Deputy Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "Across the country, communities are recognizing and responding to the need for nondiscrimination protections for transgender people. Detroit and Kansas City are just the latest among a growing number of municipalities that have acted to put an end to this pervasive discrimination, and we hope these victories will lay the foundation for statewide protections in Michigan and Missouri. "These victories also show what happens when a community comes together and has the knowledge, skills and resources to create real, positive change. The Task Force is proud to have played a role in this regard through our Transgender Civil Rights Project and our National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. We applaud our state and local partners, and the city councilors in Detroit and Kansas City who supported these measures, on these important advances." A National Gay and Lesbian Task Force press release