to recognize transgender individuals as human beings.here’s how you can help:

Today, SB207 was passed out the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee without the amendment which would have added protection for transgender individuals.

Please copy and paste the following message, or write your own, and send it to these e-mail addresses -info@aclunv.org, kathy.detwiler@rrpartners.com, dparks@sen.state.nv.us, mconklin@asm.state.nv.us

The ACLU of Nevada and R&R Partners supported the non-inclusive version of the bill. Senator David Parks is the sponsor of the bill. Assemblyman Markus Conklin chaired the committee hearing.Be sure to include your name and address at the bottom of the message.

Thank you,Lauren ScottExecutive DirectorEquality Nevada—Subject: Re: SB207 – I support the rights of transgender individuals.Message -I support the rights of transgender, intersex and genderqueer (TIQ) individual to have free and equal access to public accommodations.I am very disappointed that Senate bill SB207 (which allows for the protection of gays and lesbians in regards to access to public accommodations) passed out of the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee today without the added protection for transgender individuals.

In 2008, Jennifer Gale, a 47-year-old transgender homeless woman died in Austin Texas because a homeless shelter refused to allow her access to the facility. A 2008 study of 646 transgender Californians conducted by San Francisco’s Transgender Law Center found that 20 percent of them reported having been homeless, and a third of those said they had been denied access to a shelter.

Transgender individuals have disproportionately low income and often depend heavily on access to public accommodations, such as the library, food banks, homeless shelters and low-cost medical facilities. SB207 in its current form allows transgender individuals to be refused access to these vital resources.

The passage of SB207, without the added protection for transgender individuals, empowers the rights and privileges of one minority group, while once again leaving another behind, to fend for themselves in the streets.Sincerely,{your name}Member, Equality Nevada