Politico has a great story today about a largely unknown story about a seemingly small move that has made a big difference for trans people in this country.
But five years before the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage and President Obama lit up the White House in the colors of the rainbow, Hillary Clinton and her staff at the State Department made a change that for thousands of people was exactly that—revolutionary. Clinton enacted a new rule making it easier for transgender people to register their identities on their passports. Sexual reassignment surgery was no longer necessary; all that was required was a doctor’s note. At the time, this was the most pro-transgender action by the federal government ever, and—coming a full six years before the Pentagon announced transgender troops could serve openly—it stands as one of the most progressive things Clinton has ever done. In a single stroke, she made the passport the best way—for some, the only way—for American citizens to prove they were who they were. For transgender people, it was—according to recent conversations I have had with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experts and advocates—“huge,” “enormous,” “monumental.”
The article goes on to talk about numerous things Hillary did at State aimed at bringing equality to LGBT employees. But the articles focuses on the passport change, with Jackie Richter, a trans owner of a construction company in Illinois as the person the story revolves around. This is where things might get teary for folks. Richter received her new passport and wrote Hillary to thank her.
“Dear Madam Secretary,” Richter wrote in October 2011. “I am writing you today in great gratitude for the impact you have made in our community and my family…
“When I went to my state, to begin … the process, I stated, ‘My country accepts me as a woman and this state should … as well,” Richter wrote. “My passport reads female. … I am who I am.
And did Hillary respond? Of course she did. But you can check out that and the rest of the article on your own. I wouldn’t want to spoil what’s guaranteed to be the best read of the day.
Go Hillary!