Dr. Jillian T. Weiss Soon To Join Other Transgender Activists In The Wilderness

That’s my opinion on where the good doctor is headed. In a recent post at Bilerico.com she said:

“The incredibly unflappable Signorile asked about the failure of Congress to move on ENDA and DADT, and the President’s failure to lead. Frank’s angry response was that the LGBT community has failed to lobby Congress. He characterized our community as “lazy” and “whining”. He said “that is why we will lose” on ENDA and DADT. It was obvious he was more interested in defending himself and his cronies than in providing any leadership.

Have we failed to lobby Congress? Frank gave not a scintilla of evidence to support his accusations. In fact, one need only take a look at the blogs to see many, many stories about the efforts people are taking to call and write their Congressmembers. Advocacy organizations like the National Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Center for Transgender Equality were busy organizing phone banks and working with local communities in target districts last Fall. There is lots of evidence that our community has spent a great deal of time and effort and money in lobbying Congress. There is also evidence that Congress has been busy ignoring us.

Are you trying to lead us, Representative Frank, or to intimidate us? I know you’re one of the most powerful U.S. Representatives and all, but with all due respect, cut the malarkey.”

Representative Barney Frank is laying the groundwork for our exclusion. First it was his mention of bathrooms:

“There continues to be concerns on the part of many members about the transgender issue, particularly about the question of places where people are without their clothes — showers, bathrooms, locker rooms, etc.,” said Frank. “We still have this issue about what happens when people who present themselves as one sex but have the physical characteristics of the other sex, what rules govern what happens in locker rooms, showers, etc.”

The really disgusting  part of that is it is THE VERY THING that homophobic people use to scare others about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Now he’s publicly pinning the blame on the community while the “LG-bt” non-profit industrial complex turns a deaf ear. Now that the National Center for Transgender Equality is a part of the LCCR, one has to wonder how much of a fight they can put up in fighting our exclusion.  Frank will pay no political price for shaming the community because those who’s living is based on getting gay money, won’t shit where they eat.

By speaking truth to power, Weiss puts herself outside of that group. The Washington whisper campaign already has been swirling about her, that she she is a “loose cannon”. If anyone needs a score card of the current transactivist meme:

  • Vanessa Edwards Foster –  batshit insane
  • Denise Leclair – impossible to work with
  • Dawn Wilson & Monica Roberts – violent racists
  • Katrina Rose – combative with violent tendencies
  • Pauline Park – abrasive and unworkable
  • Monica Helms obnoxious loose cannon
  • Marti Abernathey – chaotic and disruptive
  • Gwen Smith – sullen and depressive

I’m sorry they’re doing this to her, but at least she’s in good company.

Marti Abernathey is the founder of the Transadvocate and the previous managing editor. Abernathey has worn many different hats, including that of podcaster, activist, and radiologic technologist. She's been a part of various internet radio ventures such as TSR Live!, The T-Party, and The Radical Trannies, TransFM, and Sodium Pentathol Sunday. As an advocate she's previously been involved with the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Rock Indiana Campaign for Equality, and the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition. She's taken vital roles as a grass roots community organizer in The Indianapolis Tax Day Protest (2003), The Indy Pride HRC Protest (2004), Transgender Day of Remembrance (2004), Indiana's Witch Hunt (2005), and the Rally At The Statehouse (the largest ever GLBT protest in Indiana - 3/2005). In 2008 she was a delegate from Indiana to the Democratic National Convention and a member of Barack Obama's LGBT Steering and Policy Committee. Abernathey currently hosts the Youtube Channel "The T-Party with Marti Abernathey."