Something strange is afoot at the Clinton campaign.
The nation’s first national trans political organization has created a survey for the presidential candidates, a first. Unsurprisingly the Trump campaign has not responded. The Sanders campaign responded enthusiastically and returned the questionnaire with some haste. The Clinton campaign, however, has not only not returned the questionnaire, they refuse to do so.
This makes no sense, either on its face or more deeply when the back-and-forth between activists and the campaign is taken into account. Secretary Clinton has been an early and forceful advocate for trans persons, arguably stepping up to create meaningful change while the rest of the Obama administration was just getting warmed up. Her actions on modernizing the passport application system set a remarkably positive standard on trans documentation, and has been applauded throughout the trans community.
Last year her campaign announced a very extensive LGBT policy statement, which included serious efforts on behalf of the trans community. Nothing in her recent history gave anyone a hint that such stonewalling was imminent.
Lane Hudson, a long-time supporter of the Clintons and a major fundraiser, also expressed surprise. “I’m pretty sure if Hillary knew what was going on, she would not be happy with the decision that’s been made,” Hudson said.
Equally curious is that there is a political organization called Trans United for Hillary, the successor organization to the very successful Trans United for Obama, which raised over $125,000 in 2012, and which appears out of the loop. Led by the Executive Director of the National Center for Trans Equality, Mara Keisling, the Campaigns and Communications Manager of the Center for American Progress’ LGBT program, Sarah McBride, and long-time DNC LGBT Executive Council member, Babs Siperstein, TU4H should have weighed in by now in support for the fledgling Trans United Fund, but all we have to date is silence. Leadership requires taking the community’s temperature and then acting on its behalf. It’s not always easy, but a group formed to support the Clinton campaign months ago has an obligation to become involved, engage with the campaign, and communicate with the rank and file.
As recently reported in Bay Windows, long-time veteran activist, Diego Sanchez, was denied a role in the upcoming convention. Diego is not the only major trans activist snubbed – such actions lead me to believe that those running the LGBT outreach for Secretary Clinton either don’t understand the value of successful activism, or simply don’t care. As the Sanders people have pointed out, the party nomination process is byzantine in its complexity and needs to be overhauled, but it’s that complexity which allows people to play favorites at the expense of the movement at large.
We have a presidency to win, in what, truly, is the most important presidential election of our lifetime. We don’t have time for middle school behavior within our ranks when we have a fascist to defeat. At a moment in history when trans civil rights have been elevated to the most important civil rights issue in the country (Vice President Biden, as always, was inadvertently prescient on this topic four years ago), we should be standing together in our diversity, celebrating our successes and working to solidify and expand them.
That process should start with the Clinton campaign filling out the survey.
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