Shame On You Rep. Foxx!

Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina took the floor of the House and debated against the Matthew Shepard Act which would extend hate crime protections to include sexual orientation. For me, her debating against these protections in itself is an outrage. Why would anyone stand in the way of hate crime protection for any group?

What was beyond outrage was that Rep. Foxx during her debate, stated the following, "We know that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay," Foxx said during debate. "The bill was named for him, the hate-crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."

I was so disappointed in Representative Foxx’s actions that I wrote her and told her about it. I was disappointed that she referred to the story of Matthew Shepard as a hoax. I was disappointed that as a Congresswoman she took the floor of the House and spoke on a bill that she obviously had not researched. While I understand that she now has stated that she believes she used "a poor choice of words", I cannot believe that someone taking the floor of the House would not at least research and prepare talking points so that such a grave error would not occur.

I believe that our elected officials have a responsibility to at least protect the human rights of our citizens. Consequently, I urged her to educate herself on diversity issues prior to spreading further myths and stereotypes that could lead to future hate crimes. One site I recommended to her was the Human Rights Campaign.

Please take the time to tell Representative Foxx what you think about her actions by emailing her.

Fortunately, the Matthew Shepard Act passed the house.

Disability History Bill

This morning, I wrote Missouri Representative Grisamore and thanked him for sponsoring HB 1047. I also wrote the Representatives I know and informed them of the importance of this Bill, asking them to support it.

HB 1047, would require all schools to add Disability History and Awareness to their curriculum. Many states have passed similar legislation and I hope that Missouri can benefit from a similar law.

With the passing of HB 1047, I believe that it will lead to the better treatment of people with disabilities, lead to the encouragement to individuals with disabilities to develop increased self-esteem, and the reaffirmation of the local and federal commitment to full inclusion.
The disability civil rights movement is frozen in time. I believe it is due to society’s negative perception of disability…it’s a social construct. I believe that the limitation does not reside within the individual. Rather, the limitation is really how society perceives disability and how citizens design our programs, policies, buildings and curricula. Disability should be a part of all diversity initiatives and should be recognized as merely a difference not a medical malady.
I would encourage you to review the websites below for further information.

www.disabilitystudiesforteachers.org
www.disabilitymuseum.org
www.disabilityhistory.org/index.html
www.smc.edu/disabledstudents/guide/34philos.htm

William Loren Katz once stated, “If you believe people have no history worth mentioning, it’s easy to believe they have no humanity worth defending”.

Please inform your legislators of HB 1047 and ask them to support the bill.

Put Prevention First

This morning I wrote my Missouri state Representative and Senator, asking them to NOT support HCS HB 46 & 434 and SB 264. These bills make assisting a woman with obtaining an abortion a crime. This bill is too extreme for Missouri and does nothing to prevent unintended pregnancy. It intrudes on the doctor/patient relationship and ignores the standard practice of medical care already in place for abortion providers. In fact, Missouri law already requires the strictest and most detailed informed consent process for abortion; more restrictive than for any other medical procedure.

I suggested to my legislators that rather than advancing legislation that endangers the health and safety of women, that they should support the Prevention First Act (SB 329 and HB 999). I believe that this is the responsible way to support Missouri families. The Prevention First Act focuses on prevention and provides comprehensive information and education about how to stay safe and healthy.

Please join me in contacting your legislators and educate them on the Prevention First Act.

No Fear Here

I am a Christian and I am for equal rights…human rights for all. Many times, people become fearful of the thought of us all having equal rights. Fear has played a significant role in politics the last decade or so; especially when it comes to equal rights. Especially, when we speak of equal rights for the LGBT community.

I am a Christian and I believe in the right for marriage equality. To me, this is simply a human right issue, a social justice issue for the LGBT community. Fear has played a major role in this conflict and it is important that we continue to constantly educate ourselves on this topic and to not let fear take over this conversation.

For example, please review the new ad campaign developed by the National Organization for Marriage. This ad is driven by fear and provides misleading examples of how equal rights for the LGBT community will take away the religious rights of others. The Human Rights Campaign does a great job of reviewing the content of the ad, bringing forth the real truth to the allegations provided.

The Human Rights Campaign also does an excellent job of summarizing the Top Ten Reasons for Marriage Equality.

Please take the time to review the information so if the topic comes up in conversation you can be an advocate for equal rights.

A President for Equal Rights

President Obama is doing a fabulous job! In my opinion, he has already set a record for civil rights. His latest move is toward the enhancement of rights for people with disabilities. President Obama does plan to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (which I wrote about a few posts ago) and to make sure our government ratifies it. If you emailed him as I suggested in my prior post, thank you so much for doing so.

President Obama states that he wants the US to be a leader in disability rights! He has a plan and it fits with the goals of self-advocacy.

Obama’s Plan includes the following:
• Provide equal educational opportunities.
• End discrimination.
• Increase the employment rate.
• Support independent, community-based living.

To learn more, check out Obama’s website regarding his thoughts about disability. And if you haven’t emailed President Obama about these issues, please do.

Damn It, I Want Cake, Too!

What is it with women and jealousy in the work place? At least, I think it is jealousy? Women have been competitors in the workplace for a while now but so many times it goes beyond the boundaries of what is appropriate. Many women are experiencing this from other female co-workers and administrative assistants.

I know I have had my share of workplace conflict that has included down right cat fights, lying and unethical/unprofessional behavior. I don't put up with it but it drives me nuts! I don't have time to put up with the pettiness of it all and document others' behavior to confront and/or turn it over to their supervisors if necessary.

Some examples of this kind of behavior include: pretending to not know what I ask for or to do the task wrong on purpose, doing tasks for men but not women professionals, stealing a co-workers work and taking credit for it, calling men by their titles but calling the women by their first names, gossiping about women professionals, talking about them disrespectfully behind their backs, etc.

I had a run in with my own administrative assistant and had to confront her on her behaviors. I demanded respect and documented for her what was inappropriate with her behaviors. Just as I thought I had obtained piece with the administrative assistant….Here comes another today. The administrative assistant next door came over to offer some extra cake they had left over from a meeting. She made the rounds to the other administrative assistants offering cake. Then she asked all of the professional men if they would like cake and passed it all out. But did she offer cake to me or the other professional woman the same age as me....NO! Now I choose my battles. I really didn't want cake (it had coconut in the icing, I don't care for that) but I did want the respect and to merely be treated equally.

With all of the discrimination that women experience in the workplace, why are we so catty (meow)? Why don't we respect and support each other? I am a very young, professional woman and while I have worked very hard to achieve the success I have, some may perceive that it has come easy for me. So all of the women I have had conflict with have been older than I. Sometimes I wonder if, perhaps, they are jealous…that they didn’t have the same opportunities that young women do today? Perhaps being from an older generation they don’t believe women should have power in the workplace? Maybe they don’t know how to respond to women in supervisory positions because women have only been in these positions for a short period of time and they don’t know how to deal with that kind of exposure to women in these roles?

If anyone has insight to this, please post a response. All I know is that I want my cake and I want to eat it, too.