~~~~~Update~~~~~

The language of the letter was updated at some point after the intitial publication, specifically to clarify what “fully inclusive” means. The change in italized, with the previous language lined out the updated language included in blue:

We have so much work to do. When I am President, we will work together to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits and that nothing stands in the way of loving couples who want to adopt children in need. We’re going to expand our federal hate crimes legislation and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and assure that they are both fully inclusive of all people of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. And finally, we will put an end to the failed policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice – the traits that define our men and women in uniform – have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

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Sen. Clinton wrote a message to Super Duper Tuesday LGBT voters today that’s over at OurCharts. Pam included the entire text of Sen. Clinton’s message here, so y’all can look at it and evaluate it yourselves to see what she says or doesn’t say about LGBT issues you personally may place high value on. Y’all probably know by now what my high value LGBT issue is — it’s a fully inclusive ENDA.

Here’s the paragraph from her statement that included what she plans to do about ENDA:

We have so much work to do. When I am President, we will work together to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits and that nothing stands in the way of loving couples who want to adopt children in need. We’re going to expand our federal hate crimes legislation and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and assure that they are both fully inclusive of all people. And finally, we will put an end to the failed policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice – the traits that define our men and women in uniform – have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

That’s Sen. Clinton’s emphasis on fully inclusive, not mine.

I double-checked with a non-transgender, Clinton supporter who’s on the LGBT Americans For Hillary Steering Committee to really clarify what I read. When Sen. Clinton wrote fully inclusive, was she specifically referring to transgender inclusion in ENDA?

The answer was that I was correct — Sen. Clinton was stating that she strongly supports a version of ENDA that included protections for gender identity; a version of ENDA that specifically includes transgender people (note the Sen. Clinton underline as to the strongly of strongly supports).

I really, really wasn’t expecting that. My eyes actually welled on hearing that what I thought Sen. Clinton wrote is what Sen. Clinton actually meant. My peers need that workplace protection, and knowing now that Sen. Clinton supports that kind of workplace protection for transgender people now is extremely significant to me.

Donna Cartwright, the Communications Director of Pride at Work, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Center For Transgender Equality, is a little more skeptical than I am. She commented in an email:

I did find the following phrase: ” We’re going to expand our federal hate crimes legislation and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and assure that they are both fully inclusive of all people” intriguing and perhaps hopeful, it is not as clear and explicit as Senator Obama’s pledge. Although I might be accused of being overly suspicious, the failure to mention “transgender people” or “gender identity” specifically (combined with her evasive response to Jason Bellini) does cause me some concern. Unfortunately, the last six months or so have given trans people and their allies good cause to be suspicious. Do “fully inclusive” and “all people” really include trans people? That depends on whether we are considered fully human.

Donna reminds me that last September, sitting in the audience at Southern Comfort, I was extremely hopeful when Joe Solmonese said a lot of nice words about transgender inclusion in ENDA. I was extremely disappointed in him and the HRC by December.

But, I choose to be hopeful; I prefer to believe that Sen. Clinton is saying what she means when it comes to “full inclusion” in ENDA.

As of tonight, I really don’t know which Democratic candidate I’m going to vote for tomorrow. The single reason that would have stopped me from voting for Sen. Clinton has been removed as of tonight.

I have a lot of thinking to do. My gut is leaning towards totrusting the judgment of my friends Babs, Melissa, and Dr. Dana.