As a person of both queer and trans experience, I don’t take my rights for granted, especially in this contentious political climate. I would love to say that right now I feel that I am given equal protections under the law and I am given the same common human decency that others just expect but the fact of the matter is that I am not given these protections and I am not respected like everyone else. This non-discrimination ordinance protects me and people like me from discrimination in employment, housing, and public space. With the public space section, I am guaranteed that I will be provided service in an equal fashion, as compared to heterosexual and cisgender (non-transgender) people, in a public setting. If you have not experienced discrimination or harassment in a public setting you may wonder why allocating rights like these to LGBTQ people is necessary.

I would like to stress that your lack of experience when it comes to sexuality and gender identity based discrimination is the reason these protections are needed. If you see no need for a non-discrimination ordinance in Carlisle, it’s probably because you yourself have never experienced discrimination on the basis of sexual and gender identity. I need protections like these because my lack of equal protection under the law is made apparent to me daily. I do not present in a feminine manner when I walk into Carlisle, I change into masculine clothes because I know that my protection from violence and discrimination is not guaranteed. In the state of Pennsylvania, it is perfectly legal for someone to deny housing or employment to LGBTQ people as we are not a protected class. And as we have seen in the state of Indiana, under the administration of the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Mike Pence, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, was passed and allowed people to use their religious convictions to deny service to queer and trans people.

The passing of this act made us aware of the fact that if it can happen in Indiana, it can happen in Pennsylvania. And while Hillary Clinton was not responsible for the actions of her husband during his presidency, she certainly did not outspokenly condemn his passing of both DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act) and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. These two examples demonstrate that the safety and protection of queer and trans people is not guaranteed under either a democratic or a republican regime. During this whirlwind of an election season, queer issues have not been at the forefront and the two candidate’s positions on anti-LGBTQ discrimination have not been brought up specifically during the debate cycle. This allows both candidates to have murky, at best, stances on queer and trans issues.

We need this non-discrimination ordinance to be passed so that we, as queer and trans people, know that our freedom does not come with limits and fine print. In the post marriage equality era, it’s easy for us to become complacent and rest on our laurels. But let’s be very specific, marriage equality only benefits same-sex attracted people who want to engage in long term, monogamous relationships and can afford to get married. While it is a definite benefit and a landmark event in the history of LGBTQ rights in the U.S., it doesn’t necessarily help the rest of us out. This non-discrimination ordinance is necessary for the rest of us to cover what is not allocated by marriage equality. I know that as a white and middle class queer and trans person, I don’t necessarily need employment and housing protections, as I have more options with the economic support of my parents. But there are other queer and trans people in Carlisle who are not allocated the same privilege.

This ordinance guarantees that a trans person is not blocked from the only housing they can afford. It makes sure that a queer person is denied the job they desperately need to support themselves because they were rejected long ago by the people who promised to love them unconditionally. If you’re reading this and you have any influence on whether this ordinance passes please vote for it because while I might not desperately need it, there are others who do not have the same opportunities I do. Make sure this non-discrimination ordinance passes because queer and trans people who are trying to survive are running out of options.