Last night, Pelosi spoke to the Human Rights Campaign annual dinner in Washington, DC. Her overall good speech included the following:
"I strongly believe that transgender individuals deserve the same rights and the same protections as any other Americans..."
Say what you will about the effectiveness of the Democratic congress, but the Speaker of the House of Representatives last night put the credibility of the entire Democratic party behind openly supporting transsexuals. I tend to lean towards the cultural side of things - meaning, cultural change is at least as important as, and is often a necessary precursor to, legislative change. And I think what Nancy Pelosi did was HUGE in terms of advancing change in the culture. It was also rather risky - I can't imagine a lot of Democrats being thrilled that she said that, as they don't want to be asked on the campaign trail, in front of their constituents in Nebraska, whether they agree with their party's leader that they fully endorse trans rights.
And if you still don't think it's a big deal, imagine Denny Hastert openly embracing transgender rights.
