Reply #39: Well, I Won't Forget 1997.

[Kalisiin]

Maybe you only remember the bad things Republicans do. Mostly, I'm the same way. But, WHEN a Republican does something good (rare, I'll grant) I don't forget it.

The year was 1997. I went to Washington, DC with a lobbying group called GenderPAC. We were there to advocate for passage of a transgender-inclusive ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act.)

Specter treated my group with respect, he paid attention, and he agreed with what we were saying about the need for such legislation, and listened to our stories of how we had been discriminated against.

Our other Senator, Prick Santorectum, on the other hand...he threw us out of his office! Literally! We were there, as constituents, on a pre-arranged appointment, to discuss this pending legislation...and his office already knew exactly what we were coming to discuss - the appointment had not been made under any false pretenses.

Ol' Ricky got one look at us transgender folk, and retreated into his inner office, refused to come out, refused to meet with us, refused to allow any of his staff to speak to us, refused to accept any of our materials, and instructed his staff to tell us to leave...immediately. Furthermore, if we did not leave immediately, Capitol Security would be called to forcibly remove us from his office.

That was the difference, in 1997, between our two Republican Senators. And Specter earned my respect that day. He may not have agreed with our lifestyle, he might not have liked it, he might not have even voted our way in the end. But he LISTENED. He treated us with courtesy and respect. I haven't forgotten this.

It was my first experience lobbying our lawmakers in Washington, and I was understandably nervous. Yet, the difference between the way Specter treated us...and the way Santorectum treated us...was the difference between night and day. It made an impression on me that I never forgot. Specter, at least, treated us as HUMAN BEINGS...something much of society, even today, still fails to do.

When you are transgender...as I am...you do not ask people who treat you well what their party affiliation is. You do not ask people who treat you badly what THEIR party affiliation is. When most of the world treats you like human garbage...you come to appreciate those who treat you with dignity and respect. And you don't care what their political affiliation is when they do.

On that day, in October 1997, Senator Specter earned my respect, my trust, my gratitude, my admiration, and my vote. I haven't forgotten the way we were treated, and I won't. Specter showed himself to have some of the milk of human compassion that day. I have since visited his office on three other occasions. On each occasion, we have always been treated with dignity and respect. We have always been listened to. We have never been sent away unheard. Our materials have always been accepted. We have always had the impression that we were at least listened to seriously, and that he would at least consider our position. We, of course, never bothered trying Santorectum ever again.

I can tell you, as a Pennsylvanian, that when you have Specter and Santorectum as your two Senators...you can really see the difference between them. Both are Republican. Both are conservative. Both are not really likely to support many of the causes we believe in. One, however, is a decent human being. The other isn't. I'll let you figure out which one I think is the decent human being.

HINT: The decent human being has suffered from Hodgkin's Disease.