Mara Kiesling and Transgender Equality Leadership Mara Kiesling and Transgender Equality Leadership
Our most recent inductee into our hall of Leading Ladies is Mara Kiesling. She is the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). She was recently in Austin to speak and offer a workshop at the Texas Stonewall Democrat Caucus (NCTE is a non-partisan organization). I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down with her about the state of current transgender political issues.
She prefaced her remarks with comments about the current state of the American political scene. She pointed out that moving legislation forward is difficult. As a whole, the LGBT community is allowing different interest groups to do the work. Individuals are no longer willing to stand in the streets and let their opinions be heard. She is not accusatory, but she wants to make the point that it is imperative for everyone to stay involved by calling, writing and visiting their representatives.
When Mara began her discussion on coalitions, she asked, "What are you willing to do for what you believe? Are you willing to do whatever it takes?" She went on to further state that the coalitions and groups in the LGBT community should work together. When many different groups work together on a common and related cause, they can find non-violent solutions to use against an organized system of oppression.
She also stated that, "...every LGB issue is a transgender issue." We are not a part of the LGBT community by accident; it is the most natural place for us to be because we share the same issues. She wanted everyone to realize that the transgender unemployment rate is twice the national average, and for those making $20,000 or less, it is four times the national average.
Mara is adamant that we who are oppressed need to stand together and we all need to be politically active. She is equally as strong in her beliefs when she says that members of LGB community who criticize the T community (and vice-versa) need to remember that we are all working together and we can only stand and advance if we are united and work as one. With her desire to educate and unite everyone on the plight of the transgender community and a message of full inclusion, Mara Kiesling is a true Leading Lady.
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