by Laniaya Hoofatt

Before heading to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Michelangelo Signorile stopped by the NLGJA convention to do a live broadcast of his Sirius Satellite Show. Signorile was joined by Lisa Keen, freelance writer; Kevin Naff, editor of Washington Blade; and Kerry Eleveld, news editor of The Advocate.

The availability of the candidates to LGBT media has been limited and sometimes nonexistent, said the panelists. It is already hard for journalists to gain access to a candidate, but it is even more difficult for a gay-media outlet to get past those sacred gates of their campaign doors.

"I simply want an interview, and I want it in person," said Keen, who has repeatedly tried to get interviews with Barack Obama and has been ignored. "Readers need to find out as much as they can."

The candidates have been hesitant to be too supportive of gay rights and even more hesitant to speak to gay media.

"Candidates don't want to be too supportive of the gays," Keen said.

Signorile and his guests discussed how the gay press has had limited access to Democratic presidential candidates than in past contests. For example, Eleveld had a friend ask Obama at a private event why he didn't do more LGBT media, and Obama responded by saying, "You're right, we need to do more LGBT press."

Aside from an interview with The Advocate, Obama has avoided LGBT press, leaving most gay media out in the dust.

"I don't think either of them want to talk to us," Eleveld said.

The conversation veered into the one opportunity the queer community had to get the questions they wanted answered—last year's Human Rights Campaign forum—and it was done by a panel including Melissa Etheridge, but no journalists from the LGBT press.* The panelists repeatedly returned to that fact.

The panelists want the presidential candidates to understand there is nothing simple about the queer community. Gays are no different than anyone else in this country, they said. They want to be afforded the same rights of their straight counterparts.

Signorile says the real test will come after the election when Obama is inaugurated.

"No candidate really does follow through on their promises. If he [Obama] follows through on one or two promises that would be great, but once they get in office reality sets in and if Obama has the will to do it he will," Signorile said.

*Journalists Jonathan Capehart and Margaret Carlson were in attendance at the event unlike previously noted.

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by Laura Simmons

In 2007, Steven Stanton made the decision that would change his life. Steven became Susan.

In doing so, Stanton set off a series of events that would land her in newspapers across the country and make her a poster child for the transgender movement.

As a man, Stanton was a successful city manager in Largo, Fla., for 17 years. But after announcing to the city council that she intended to transition, she is still unemployed.

What happened to Stanton behind the headlines is perhaps best put in her own words. To do that, Stanton will be at the 2008 convention Friday for a partial screening of the CNN documentary with the new working title "Her Name Was Steven."

The documentary, which follows Stanton's transition and subsequent struggle, is scheduled to be finished in the fall. No date has yet been set for broadcast.

Although she's not doing any other interviews until after the documentary has aired, Stanton will answer questions from the audience after the screening. CNN decided to do the documentary because "it's something you wouldn't typically see," said director of CNN public relations, Jennifer Dargan,

"This documentary looks at a person who had — well there's obviously the event that happened in the news and that's a part of it — but this is also a personal journey of a person and what brought this individual to all of the other events that happened," she said.

As a man, Stanton was married, had a young son, Travis, and was making a six-figure salary. Stanton continues to share parenting responsibilities, but the dismissal has left her "pissed off."

In a 2007 interview with Larry King, Stanton said despite everything she stood to lose, she had to come out because "ultimately, you want to be authentic to yourself."

Ina Fried, vice president of print and new media for NLGJA and the chair of Transgender and Allies Task Force, said Stanton's story is unique, but other transgendered people can relate.

"I think what's common for all transgendered people is that the act of coming out at work is stepping into the abyss," she said. "It's pretty interesting in this day and age that we can have a debate over whether you can fire somebody because they're transgender."

And the debate isn't limited to Florida.

This week in Washington, Diane Schroer is in federal court alleging that the Library of Congress rescinded a job offer in 2005 after she revealed she'd be transitioning from male to female. The trial continues this week, and no decision is expected anytime soon.

In a larger sense, the stories of Schroer and Stanton underscore the reality of transgendered rights in the U.S.

Thomas Cashman Avila, deputy executive director of NLGJA, said the organization is working to focus more on transgender issues by featuring speakers such as Stanton.

"I think this is a part of a growing attention towards making sure that we're including trans-issues — that LGBT is not just a convenient acronym — that it's actually reflecting our own diversity," Avila said.

Transgender events at past conventions have included Trans 101 and 102 — workshops to help journalists write accurately about transgender issues, Fried said.

At last year's convention, Christine Daniels, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, spoke about her transition. Daniels was able to keep her job after coming out.

"What happened to Christine Daniels is a good contrast to what happened to Susan Stanton," Avila said.

And increased visibility is essential to transgender people gaining acceptance in the workplace and elsewhere, Fried noted.

"I think we're still at the stage where it's still really important for people to hear and see transgender people," she said. "Most people know people who are gay or lesbian. We're not at a place where most people know somebody who's transgendered."

"Too often transgendered stories are told in ways that aren't thoughtful, aren't accurate, aren't fair. It's great to see NLGJA finding ways to include the issue."

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by Jean|Gene M. Beebe

In the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., this week, a transgender woman, Diane Schroer, is bringing suit against the Library of Congress. Schroer alleges that the Congressional Research Service, an arm of the Library of Congress, discriminated against her based on her sex. This, she claims, violates her rights under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Sharon McGowan, an associate lawyer with the ACLU and Schroer's counsel, says Schroer is legally a woman because she identifies herself as such; Schroer's gender identity is that she is female. Schroer, McGowan says, should be recognized as female and have the same protections as any other woman, regardless of the fact that she is transgender.

Yet, admits McGowan: "Diane is suing because she's a transgender woman." There is something unique about being transgender in a world that protects men and women. "When you discriminate against someone because of their gender identity or when you discriminate against somebody because they're changing their sex, that's against the law. That's a very important message to send," McGowan says.

The Congressional Research Service rescinded a job offer after Schroer disclosed that she would be transitioning from David to Diane. Schroer is suing to get the job she was promised as a senior terrorism research analyst.

She applied for the job as David and says she was offered the position. She was introduced to what her boss called her "colleagues." The following day, they met for lunch, and Schroer mentioned that she had a personal issue to discuss: that she was transgender. Says Schroer, shaking her head: "The initial reaction was, ‘Why in the world would you want to do that?'"

The following day, her future boss called and said, "After a long and sleepless night, based on our conversation yesterday, I've decided that you're not a good fit. You're not what we want." Schroer, evidently, was not right for the job.

"I'd been told a lot of things in my life. I'd never been told, ‘You're not what we want. You're not a good fit," Schroer said, sighing. "As you can imagine, it certainly wasn't the high point of my week," she added.

Schroer says she was clearly the best for the position. She says she was extremely well-qualified and anticipated contributing much to the job. As one of the foremost experts on national security, then-Col. Schroer dealt with the office of the secretary of defense, the National Security Council and the White House. He accrued more than 25 years in the U.S. Army as a special forces commander and debriefed Vice President Dick Cheney after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He worked through millions of dollars of educational training and completed 450 parachute jumps.

"So, it surprised me. It very much disappointed me," Schroer says.

Library of Congress officials refused to comment other than offering their legal briefs. They said that transsexuals are not protected under Title VII.

U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin is fighting for transgender protections to be included in a bill before Congress, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Says Baldwin: "It is high time that America declare discrimination based on gender identity and expression to be unlawful."

If passed, ENDA would protect lesbians and gays, but not transgender people like Diane Schroer. Peter Rosenstein, an LGBT activist and political blogger, thinks that transgender people will eventually be included, but he notes that "when you're talking about civil and human rights you don't get everything you want at the same time."

Meanwhile, Diane waits for a decision from the court and the chance to show her skills for the job, as a career woman, working her own way.

Says Schroer: "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't hope that someone from the Library of Congress would call and say, ‘We've made a huge mistake, and we would very much like for you to start work tomorrow morning.'"

Schroer's trial ends today. It will be months before she hears a decision.

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NLGJA members trickled in from all around the country...and the world. These are their stories. Video reporting by Matthew Leung.

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Laura Simmons asks NLGJA convention attendees how they came out at work. These are their stories.

Jim Oswald


Karen Bailis


More coming out stories inside

Scott Travis


Michael Triplett


Ann Craig


Steve Honley

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Video reporter Matthew Leung uncovers the motivation behind NLGJA convention planner Samantha Snyder

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