“Illegal” Trannies and Immigrants

I can no longer keep track of the number of times folks ask me: How large is the Trans community? These questions are usually asked as part of a dialogue regarding trans rights or protections. And at this point I usually refuse to answer the specific question (for IMHO it is meaningless) and attempt to get those asking such questions to make the larger connection. A connection to a society which works so hard to marginalize those who do not look, act, pray, sound or walk like themselves! A case in point is regarding the issue of documentation and the “legal” status of an individual. Probably one of the key issues facing the trans community is that around documenting ones “sex.” In theory a meaningless exercise, though in these great (dis)united states a topic of great import. We see this around such daily routines as peeing, working, driving, etc… Yet legal documentation is not soley the pervue of the “Trans Rights Struggle” but touches upon so many communities, one prominent one being the Immigrant community. This dialogue could dwelve into a full discourse around documentation and identification, though I will simply talk to one specific case: Social Security No Match Letters.

In 2003, the Social Security Administration tightened up its process called SSNVS (Social Security Number Verification Service) for employers. Essentially this process notifies an employer of every employee whose employer provided Social Security information does not match the federal SSA database. Prior to the 9/11 (Reichstag fires) the government would only send no match letters if an employer had a large number of mismatches. However in 2003, the SSA sent a letter to the employer even if only one employee’s social security information does not match. And of course one of the markers the SSA tracks is (you guessed it) GENDER! Yours truly been on this list each year since 2003! Basically each year I receive an email from my employer that states:

Social Security Administration has reviewed the information that we have on file for you and they have indicated that your gender does not match the record that they have. Please contact us to correct this in our employee records. (see http://www.transadvocacy.com/ssa for details)

Fortunately for me, I am very out at work and was able to reconcile this issue with my employer, or at least keep them from changing my employee gender marker to match SSA. Essentially, I as well as all others who received these letters were simply subjected to a potential loss of SSA benefits due to this mismatch. However fast forward to the present and DHS’s new rules (August 2007) that employers are required to fire workers or face fines and criminal charges unless the discrepency is remedied within 90 days. It will be curious to see how this plays out when I receive my next no match letter from my employer. Clearly, this rule is being used as another tool of immigration enforcement and immigration terrorism. However, as you clearly see, the Trans community who truly lives under the legal radar of “sex and gender” is caught in this paper chase. Sadly you see very little mention of this issue (outside of the articles by CT TransAdvocacy) by the Trans advocacy community. Since many trannies are coming out and/or seeking employment, yet cannot afford, desire or tolerate sex reassignment surgery this is a critical issue.  As relayed to me by a number of trans folks also receiving these letters and sadly not out at work

In summary, the issues that the trans community faces such as body image, body modification, documentation, employment, housing, health care, etc are many of the same issues that so many other marginalized and oppressed communities face. If trannies are ever to receive human and civil rights, it will only be at the same time that society makes fundamental social change in how it views, treats and interacts with the true and fundamental diversity of human beings and cultures!