To commemorate Transgender Day of Visibility, a group of Wisconsin state lawmakers and transgender advocates gathered Monday at the Wisconsin State Capitol to present a new legislative package.
Sen. Mark Spreitzer, Sen. Melissa Ratcliff, Rep. Ryan Clancy and Rep. Christian Phelps were joined by fellow legislators and members of the LGBTQ+ community to address The Visibility, Equality and Privacy Package.
LGBTQ+ Caucus Chair Spreitzer said the package would focus on measures to strengthen protections against discrimination in employment, housing, education and public accommodations.
Spreitzer added that the package would also help ensure that transgender identities are respected in all aspects of public life.
“This bill rests on the concept that transgender and non-binary people are entitled to equal treatment under the law and should not be discriminated against based on a core part of who they are,” Spreitzer said.
Based on the United States Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision that extended protections that prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to LGBTQ+ individuals, Spreitzer said that a federal and state shift is needed to ensure that Wisconsin’s transgender and non-binary communities are protected.
LGBTQ+ Caucus Vice-Chair Christian Phelps discussed the impact of legislation on the younger generation of Wisconsin residents. The 2006 constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage shaped his understanding of identity and equality, Phelps said.
“Thirteen-year-olds across Wisconsin are listening to the political actions and messages that are being sent out of the Capitol,” Phelps said. “Today we can send a message that says that there are elected officials and allies and leaders across the state that are fighting.”
Clancy, who serves as co-chair of The Transgender Parent and Non-Binary Advocacy Caucus, addressed the need for these protections, citing personal experiences that he’s encountered while supporting a transgender family member.
As the parent of a transgender child, Clancy explained the discriminatory practices that he had encountered.
“When I drove across the Minnesota-Wisconsin border just a few days ago, I was inundated with attack ads attacking our trans youth and our trans people here in Wisconsin,” Clancy said.
Transperience organizer Martha Marvel discussed being a part of one of the first transgender communities in Green Bay. She said she often hid in the back of the oldest gay bar in Wisconsin from fear of judgment.
Marvel and other transgender individuals began to build community, reach out and create networks over time.
The Green Bay queer community has quickly expanded over the years and celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility this year with a turnout of over 200 people.
“We’re going to continue to move forward regardless,” Marvel said. “We will not be erased; if anything, our light is going to shine brighter.”
Speakers at the event expect that protections for transgender and non-binary individuals will be strengthened.
With continued support from legislators and the LGBTQ+ community, the package continues to gain momentum, with advocates hopeful that it will provide lasting legal protections for transgender and non-binary people across Wisconsin, according to Spreitzer.