The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

(Update 11:18 - The bill number is: H.R. 2981 and the language is already posted at www.thomas.gov)

From United ENDA…

ENDA is being introduced tomorrow (Wednesday June 23rd) in the House! Our next step is to call our Representatives and ask them to cosponsor of ENDA. Below is a script to use. It is essential that we flood their lines to let them know how many of their constituents support ENDA! Once you’ve called, let United ENDA know what the staffer said by emailing laura.hart@unitedenda.org. Then ask all of your friends and family to call their Representative too.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and have them connect you to your Representative (based on your zip code). Tell them:

I am a constituent and I would like you to please tell Representative _______ that I would like him/her to become a cosponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. ENDA would ban discrimination against all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the workplace. Can you tell me whether or not Representative _______ has cosponsored the bill?

Just go ahead & do it. Find your House Rep at www.house.gov. (On the upper left side, put in your zip.)

From NTCE…

A Message from Mara Keisling

I have no doubt we can pass a transgender-inclusive ENDA this year if we all do the work now to educate Congress and the public. In an interview last fall, Rep Barney Frank (D-MA) agreed saying:

"The more Democrats we have, and obviously, not every Democrat votes with us, the better we'll do. If we can pick up 15 Democratic seats, then I think we are in good position to pass a transgender-inclusive ENDA." (Barney Frank on 365Gay.com)

Of course he's right, not every Democrat votes with us and not every Republican votes against us. That's why the best work we can be doing now to get us in position for winning our rights in 2009 is the work of building relationships and educating all of our lawmakers - whoever they are, where ever they are.

When I'm visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill one thing I hear far too often is that lawmakers don't think they have transgender people in their districts. You and I know that is impossible - we are every where. I can visit your representatives everyday up on the Hill, but they really need to hear from you and to meet you face to face. It does make a difference!
…
What is ENDA?

Key features of the bill include:

* This legislation would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote an employee simply based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. It would reinforce the principle that employment decisions should be based upon a person’s qualifications and job performance.
* ENDA closely follows the model of existing federal civil rights laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are treated in the same way as other groups protected under law – no better, no worse.

Who supports equal employment:

* Most of America’s smartest business minds understand that a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity has nothing to do with their job performance. That is why 200 Fortune 500 companies include gender identity in their nondiscrimination policies.
* Federal law has also been outpaced by the actions of state and local leaders. Thirty-seven percent of the country, including thirteen states, the District of Columbia and more than 90 cities and counties, have passed protections for the transgender community.

Why ENDA Must Contain Explicit Protections for Gender Identity

* ENDA should protect the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community from unequal treatment in the workplace, especially those of us who are most vulnerable to discrimination.
* The LGBT community is one community, and we want to move forward, together, in one bill.
* Including explicit protections against discrimination based on gender identity not only helps transgender people; it also strengthens ENDA for the rest of our community by ensuring that an employer cannot fire or refuse to hire a gay employee for an “effeminate” walk or a lesbian employee for dressing “too butch.”
* Despite advances in protecting transgender people on the state and local level, as well as in the private sector, it remains perfectly legal in 37 states to fire someone solely based on his or her gender identity.
* Recent national surveys have found that 65% of people believe it should be illegal to discriminate against transgender people in employment.