...And right into the gender issues

I'm not really an "activist" on transgender issues. Although I've been an occasional crossdresser for decades, it's largely a private matter for me. Still, I feel strongly that transgendered persons deserve at least some legal protections.

Hence the case of Diane Schroer caught my attention. Diane is a transsexual in the process of transitioning to womanhood. She also had applied for a position at the Library of Congress, one for which she was eminently well qualified, and had been all-but officially hired. Apparently, however, she had done this still in her male identity of David Schroer. She explained to her prospective boss that she would be making the transition while in her early months of employment, and that it would probably be easier for everyone to adjust if she presented as female from the beginning. The boss made no immediate comment, but the next day, Diane was informed that the job offer was being withdrawn.

David Schroer, by the way, was an Army Colonel, a 25-year veteran, had been in the Special Forces and made over 450 parachute jumps before retiring in 2004.

I personally think it's shameful that someone who has put their life at risk for their country for decades should recieve this kind of treatment. There just seems no rational reason for it.

Even more disturbing to me was the 2002 case of Peter Boiler, an employee of a Winn-Dixie supermarket in Louisiana. Mr. Boiler was fired after his managers learned that he sometimes dressed as a woman, even though he did not do so at work and it had no impact whatsoever on his job performance. Managers argued that customers who might see Boiler so dressed might associate him with the store and might decide to shop elsehwere. Assisted by the ACLU, Boiler sued under federal sex discrimination laws, but the suit was dismissed. I hope that Ms. Schroer has better luck.