Cable News Panel Discusses Transgender Issues

[William769]

Melissa Harris-Perry devoted half of her two-hour MSNBC show to a discussion of LGBT issues on Sunday, with one panel focused exclusively on the concerns of the transgender community.

Guests for the transgender panel, a rare occurrence in network TV, included Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality, author Kate Bornstein, and Mel Wymore, the first openly transgender candidate for the New York City Council.

In a wide-ranging and substantive conversation, the panelists talked about the pervasive discrimination and violence faced by transgender individuals in the United States. According to a study released last year by NCTE and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, some 90% of transgender respondents had experienced harassment at work, 19% had contended with homelessness, and 41% had attempted suicide, more than twice the percentage among people diagnosed with chronic depression.

“Our political fight is really a fight for people’s lives,” said Keisling.

The panelists discussed how transgender policy priorities such as access to identity documents and health care relate to the broader LGBT agenda, often understood by many Americans to begin and end with marriage equality. Bornstein argued that the single focus presents a challenge to coalition-building because marriage is “perceived as a very selfish spearheading issue,” that excludes non-traditional family arrangements deserving protection, such as families led by single mothers or multiple partners.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/04/16/Cable_News_Panel_Discusses_Transgender_Issues/

[DURHAM D]

1. It was an excellent program.

Melissa is really able to take the conversation to another level. The guests were all fantastic.