September 18, 2007

Support for passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act currently in the Congress

The federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is making its way through the US Congress. It is currently in the House of Representatives as HR 2015. This bill was introduced in April 2007 by Representatives Barney Frank, D-Mass; Christopher Shays, R-Conn; Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio; and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc. Both Frank and Baldwin are openly gay members of congress. Senator Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, has said that he will introduce the legislation into the Senate this month.

ENDA will ban employers from hiring, firing, promoting or paying employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, just as they are currently banned from using race, gender, and religion as criteria for the same employment actions.

Churches and military services would not be affected by the ban, under the provisions of the legislation.

Currently, only 19 states and the District of Columbia have such a ban in effect for gays and lesbians. The situation is worse for transgender persons, who are protected in only 11 states and the District of Columbia.

Organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) are working hard to ensure that this essential social justice legislation is passed.

Rep Barney Frank has said in an interview with the Associated Press that he believes the House of Representatives bill will be approved in the coming weeks. The task in the US Senate is made more difficult by the requirement to pass their bill with 60 votes in order to overcome the use of delaying tactics like filibustering.

NOW is the time to add your support to the efforts of those working in behalf of LGBT people.

CONTACT your US Representative and US Senators.

TELL them that you favor the passage of the legislation in the US House and the introduction and passage of similar legislation in the US Senate.

Information about how to contact your US Representative and US Senators can be found on the websites of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Human Rights Campaign, or National Center for Transgender Equality, as well as more information about what ENDA will do. Sample letters or emails that can be sent are also found on those sites.

If you want to read the House bill, go to the Library of Congress.