---------------------------------------Begin Letter from HRC ---------------------------------------From: Liz Seaton To: "'payitnomind@hotmail.com'" Subject: RE: Endorsement of Amanda Milan demonstrations Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 16:55:46 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: from [151.200.175.3] by hotmail.com (3.2) with ESMTP id MHotMailBC602A54009D4004319A97C8AF0312850;Fri Feb 23 14:08:21 2001 Received: by mail.hrc.org with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21)id<15APZMJS>; Fri, 23 Feb 2001 16:55:55 -0500 >From Liz.Seaton@hrc.org Fri Feb 23 14:08:46 2001 Message-ID: X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Dear Ms. Weisman, Thank you for your efforts to memorialize the life of Ms. Amanda Milan. HRC has in the past and will continue in the future to publicly denounce hate violence against transgender people. HRC also sponsored and participated in the initial vigil for Ms. Milan. Unfortunately HRC is unable to sponsor or offer financial support to this current effort. HRC's resources are being strategically spent on legislative efforts, including preparing for reintroduction of the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act that would give federal authorities jurisdiction over hate crimes motivated by "real or perceived gender." We are also supporting the work of state and local organizations working on a number of state bills on civil rights, hate crimes and family issues, including several which are transgender-inclusive. We applaud the efforts of the New York community to keep the attention focused on the life of Ms. Milan during the ongoing legal case. Sincerely, Liz Seaton Deputy Field Director Seth Kilbourn National Field Director ----------------------------------end Letter from HRC -----------------------------------
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Call For Action ! Write, Email and Phone the HRC for refusing to endorse the Coming Vigil and Demonstration At the Trial Of Amanda Milan's Murderers ! The HRC, a Washington Based Gay rights organization has refused to sponsor the upcoming Vigil at the Trial Of Amanda Milan's Murderers ! Amanda Milan was a 23 year old Transexual woman who was murdered outside of the Port Authority Bus Station. The HRC originally endorsed her Memorial service, but refuses to endorse this action that would help bring her murderers to justice. S.T.A.R (Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries) is calling for a letter, phone and email writing campaign to express our dismay that they do not find the murder of a Transexual woman worthy of their support. This is just one action in a series of many by the HRC and it's allies against the transgender community. They have lobbied against the inclusion of Transgendered people in the ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination act).They have almost always stated that they would come back for us later, that they supported our right, but could no support us for tactical reasons. Historically the conservative wing of the gay community has always opposed the inclusion of transgendered folks beginning with the early "homosexual rights" groups in the 1950's. We can wait no longer ! We will no longer take the back seat of the bus! Our people are being killed on the streets and denied employment and housing ! We are asking people to try to email the HRC before Tuesday for greatest Imapact. If you can't write now, it is ok to do it later. Make your phone calls on Tuesday if possible. The contact numbers are below: Liz Seaton Deputy Field Director Liz.Seaton@hrc.org (The HRC rep who wrote the email refusing to endorse) Seth Kilbourn National Field Director Seth.Kilbourn@hrc.org Human Rights Campaign 919 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Email: hrc@hrc.org Phone: (202)628-4160 2
Fax: (202) 347-5323 Members Services: membership@hrc.org 1-800-727-4723. The Vigil is scheduled to coincide with the Trial of Amanda Milan's Murderers which is tentativly scheduled for April. We are attempting to get as many people as possible to the Vigil and to act as Courtroom monitors to show the court that we will not allow our people to be victimized in this way. For more information on Amanda Milan go to the following websites: http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/events/022601ev.htm http://communities.msn.com/amandamilan For information on STAR go to: http://www.geocities.com/catskillmarina -------------------------------------------------------------------S.T.A.R. (Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries) email: stactionrevs@onebox.com voicemail/fax: (212) 894-3747 x8331 For more information and to send your endorsement is (212) 929-3632 12 and 8 Mon& Tues, Thurs-Sat. Ask for Sylvia or Julia. After 9, call (718) 832-1080. Write to STAR, c/o Sylvia Rivera, 214 16th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11215.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Star's response to HRC ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ THIS IS OUR RESPONSE TO HRC Dear HRC
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You would probably find it difficult to imagine how disappointed and angry we are at your failure to back us in our time of need. You obviously can spend your money any way you want but it would cost you nothing to lend your name. Your representatives at Amanda Milan's memorial service apologized to Sylvia Rivera for not knowing of the oppression and hatred that all communities direct at us day in and day out and culminate in murderous attacks that end our lives the way Amanda's ended Perhaps Octavia St Laurent's words that "straights have their rights, gays have their rights, lesbians have their rights, and animals have their rights, but where our are rights" impressed them, or perhaps it was the fact, may I remind you, that it was a gay "brother" who handed the killer the knife and urged him on. Your people had no problem in 1969 from using the anger of our people who gave their all, who had nothing to lose, who brought you out of the closets you would still be in if it were not for us. We still have nothing to lose, and we are still giving our all. Sylvia told your representatives that if you did not back us we would come knocking at your door and your representatives agreed that we would have the right to do so. Watch out Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries, Sylvia Rivera, President ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐ End STAR's response to the HRC ‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ -------------------------------------Star's Response -------------------------------------Next is a comment on the HRC's attitude towards the trans community and then their letter to us. Take heed and act accordingly. We fight back .From: "S.T.A.R " <payitnomind@hotmail.com> DDate: Sat Feb 24, 2001 4:29pm Subject: Fwd: RE:Endorsement of Amanda Milan demonstrations To all, The HRC has no backbone when it comes to backing our communitywhen we are standing up for ourselves. We will never tolerate the hatred that other communities direct toward us. The HRC bears responsibility for forgetting the fact that we have lives, feelings and blood just like every other human being. Representatives of HRC, after the Amanda Milan memorial, personally apologized to Sylvia Rivera for their ignorance of the extent of the hatred that we face and the danger we live with day after day, day in and day out. Perhaps Octavia St. Laurent's comment that "gays have rights, lesbians have rights, and even 4
animals have rights, but where are our rights" hit home, especially considering the fact that it was a gay person who handed the knife to Amanda's killer and urged him on to do the murder. Sylvia let them know that if they weren't there to back us up that we would be knocking at their doors. Read the letter below carefully and respond to it in any way you see fit. By their line "real or perceived gender" it seems that they think some people's gender are more real than ours. Transgender is not "perceived" gender. Trans is an issue that applies to every consideration of law, not just "several" trans-inclusive bills. If "law" cannot incorporate "trans", then so much for law. This is a call to arms by Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R)for a letter writing, email and phone campaign, and a picket of HRC's New York office. Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries - Sylvia Rivera and Julia Murray (Please Repost and distribute this call FAR and WIDE !) -------------------------------------End Star's Response --------------------------------------
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