Many thanks to the Connecticut House of Representatives for lighting a candle in the Sexual Dark Age yesterday when they approved a bill making discrimination on the basis of “gender identity or expression” a jail-able offense. Hopefully the state senate makes quick work of passing it.

I’ve always found it a little disturbing that we actually have to pass laws against being a bigoted douchebag. Unfortunately we have to do it over and over again, each law being a new battle in legislatures across the country over each individual form of bigoted douchebaggery, but at least it’s getting done a little at a time.

I’m especially impressed that what’s likely to be a bunch of crusty old white guys (as most of our legislatures are) took on the issue in the first place. Transgendered individuals are uncommon enough in society that they tend to spend a lot of time getting left out of the discrimination conversation, and that sucks.

The article from the Hartford Courant is an interesting read and includes a lot of comments from legislators on both sides, but one really stood out to me:

Rep. Kim Fawcett, D-Fairfield, said she is a Christian who leads “a very active, faith-based life,” and “it’s because my faith is so important to me” that she supports the bill, “to assure that people, even if they’re different from us” are “treated equally under the law.”

She blasted unnamed religious activists “who have slandered the intent of the proposal before us” and “stirred up fear.” Such individuals have “not stood up for the same God or the same faith that I hold so dear,” Fawcett said.

Yeah, I had to read it twice, too. But there’s no doubt…it appears this lady is an actual Christian. I felt it was worth taking the time to give her a virtual high-five, because we don’t see many of them in the press lately. So, Kim Fawcett, if by some unlikely chain of events you end up on this website, I’d like to thank you for being part of the solution.