Open Letter to Pelosi on ENDA

Eight LGBT groups including GetEqual, the Transgender Law Center, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights have written an open letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding a floor vote on ENDA immediately.

From San Francisco Pride at Work, One Struggle, One Fight, GetEqual, Harvey Milk Democratic Club, Transgender Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, El / La, and National Pride at Work

An Open Letter to the House Speaker on ENDA

We are writing to express how extremely troubled we are that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has not yet been scheduled for a vote by the full House of Representatives. We believe a floor vote must be scheduled for ENDA immediately.

It would be devastating for LGBT workers for this Congress to not complete its work on ENDA before the end of this session. ENDA would be historic in the number of LGBT people who would benefit from its passage. During this economic crisis, it is more important than ever to prohibit the often impoverishing effects of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Most LGBT workers have no protections from workplace discrimination. ENDA would provide legal protection against discrimination nationally. Over and over we have been promised that a vote would be scheduled on ENDA, and these promises have been repeatedly broken. In 29 states, it is still legal to fire someone solely because they are lesbian, gay or bisexual. And in 38 states it is legal to fire someone solely for being transgender. The current version of the bill would outlaw discrimination on both sexual orientation and gender identity.

A 2006 study by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and the Transgender Law Center found that 60 percent of transgender people in San Francisco earn less than $15,300 per year, only 25 percent have a full-time job and nearly 9 percent have no source of income.

Only 4 percent reported making more than $61,200, which is about the median income in the Bay Area. More than half of local transgender people live in poverty, and 96 percent earn less than the median income. Forty percent of those surveyed don't even have a bank account. What this study reveals is that even in a city that is considered a haven for the LGBT community, transgender workers face profound employment challenges and discrimination.

A 2007 meta-analysis from the Williams Institute of 50 studies of workplace discrimination against LGBT people found consistent evidence of bias in the workplace. The analysis found that up to 68 percent of LGBT people reported experiencing employment discrimination, and up to 17 percent said they had been fired or denied employment.

Public opinion polling shows that Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of making sure LGBT Americans get the same employment opportunities as everyone else. In fact, the latest surveys shows that nearly 90% of Americans support workplace fairness for LGBT workers.

As you know, in a few weeks, Congress will finish it's legislative business for the year so that they can return to their districts to run for re-election. Last month at a LGBT Pride event, Congresswoman Jackie Spier announced to the LGBT community that not only would we not get ENDA before the end of the legislative session, that she did not think we would get it for five years because we won't have enough votes in Congress again to ensure passage. It is ironic that Congress plans on leaving town and going home to campaign for their own jobs while leaving thousands of LGBT workers without protections for the next five years. When 90% of Americans support workplace fairness, it is challenging to believe that anyone fears a backlash from the voters. The time to pass ENDA is now. The American people support it, the politicians promised it. No more broken promises. We demand that a vote be scheduled now.

Sincerely,

SF Pride at Work, One Struggle, One Fight, GetEqual, Harvey Milk Democratic Club, Transgender Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, El / La and National Pride at Work

Queers are Getting Pissed!

After all the hope and campaign promises by Obama to stand up for LGBT equality and overturn DADT, DOMA and pass ENDA, the reality is sinking in that Obama and the Democrats are not in a hurry to do anything substantive for the gay community, at least not this year. The Obama administration has turned changing the DADT policy over to the military. ENDA is stalled and does not have enough votes with gender identity included. If Democrats loose lots of seats in Congress in November as expected, there may not be another chance to move on LGBT issues for a long time.

But queers are getting pissed and fired up. A new LGBT activist group, GetEqual, is lighting fire under some asses in D.C. They have staged several highly publicized protests this week on DADT and ENDA:

GetEqual Disrupts House Education and Labor Committee on ENDA

Six Service Members from GetQual Hancuff themselves to White House Fence

(Protest Coverage Cut Short by Park Police)

Gay Protesters Interrupt Obama Speech on DADT

Here's Why: Barney Frank Says Obama Not Pushing DADT Repeal This Year, Frustrated with Obama's Lack of Support

After calling for the repeal of DADT in his SOTU speech, Obama now appears to want to wait until 2011:
Gibbs-DADT on Hold Until 2011

Obama and the Democrats are missing an historic opportunity to pass meaningful legislation for LGBT civil rights, and they may suffer in the elections from lack of LGBT support!

ENDA Introduced in Senate

ENDA Introduced in Senate

An inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act is now on the move in the U.S. Senate. Long-time sponsor Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) introduced the bill today along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

The Human Rights Campaign launched a lobby effort today to muster support for the legislation, asking supporters to send e-mails to their senators urging their support. The e-mail notes that, in 29 states, there is no law to prevent an employer from firing someone because he or she is gay and, in 38 states, no law to prohibit an employer from firing someone for being transgender.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task, the first national gay political organization to push for a federal law to prohibit job discrimination against gays, in 1974, said it hopes the stated support of President Obama will “play a role in assisting with [the bill's] swift passage in both the House and the Senate.”

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who is the lead sponsor of the ENDA bill introduced in the House in June, said he is optimistic about its chances of passing that chamber. But he expressed less optimism about reaching a new political threshold of 60 votes in the Senate. The bill needs only 51 votes to pass, but the Democratic majority has sought to ensure 60 votes before bringing legislation to the floor in order, they say, to ward off any filibuster attempts.

A form of ENDA without gender identity passed the House in the last session of Congress but engendered so much opposition for omitting gender identity that it was never brought up in the Senate.

The ENDA bills introduced in the House and Senate this year both seek to prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Current federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability.

Obama Grants (Some) Benefits to Gay Fed. Employees

Obama Grants (Some) Benefits to Gay Federal Employees
After a week of growing anger and frustration by gays & lesbians over his DOJ anti-gay brief defending the "Defense of Marriage Act," President Obama signed a memorandum granting SOME benefits to gay federal employees. He noted it was a small step, called the Defense of Marriage Act "discriminatory" and called for it to be repealed (again), and urged Congress to pass the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act, which would grant full benefits to gay employees, which are currently prohibited by the DOMA. The signing statement was rushed to counter gay anger over the DOJ anti-gay DOMA brief, and to salvage a DNC gay fundraiser next week, which many prominent gay leaders and activists are boycotting.

Obama's Statement on Gay Federal Benefits

This statement does not seem to be enough to calm the gay anger and frustration with the lack of any progress on the promises the DNC and Obama campaigns made to gay voters and supporters:

Gay Critics Say "Too Little, Too Late" From Obama
John Arovosis: Obama Betrays the Gay Community
Deb Price: Obama Backtracks on Gay Rights
NYT: Outcry o Federal Same-Sex Benefits

Maybe the Democrats in Congress got a wake up call and will do something now:
Rep. Barney Frank to Introduce ENDA Next Week

If the DNC wants to get any more gay money, they better ACT NOW!

TN Man Fired for Being Gay!

Opponents of civil rights laws covering sexual orientation often claim there is no need to pass laws protecting gays from discrimination because (a) discrimination is not a problem for gays and (b) gays are more affluent than most groups in American society.

Here's one example of the need to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA):
Man Fired For Being Gay
A Tennessee man said Thursday that he was weighing his legal options after being fired from a Nashville-area hotel specifically for being gay.

"They literally said to me that because of my orientation and my 'alternative lifestyle' that I was not a fit for the hotel," said David Hill, formerly the director of human resources for the former Brentwood Holiday Inn (currently doing business as ARTE' Hotel, with no connection to the Holiday Inn chain). "[Tarun Surti, the hotel's owner] said, 'I don't give a damn. They can sue me. I will not have any of 'the gay leadership role' in my hotel.' And that's a quote."

Mr. Hill has filed complaints with the EEOC and Department of Labor, and is currently in talks with the ACLU, Tennessee Equality Project and the Tennessee Labor Board about pursuing legal action.

"The owner, Mr. Surti, comes from a culture that is not very tolerant to the gay lifestyle," added assistant general manager Leonard Stoddard, who was ordered to dismiss Hill, "and therefore he felt it necessary to have him removed from the workforce at the property."

"I do believe that's a very fair assumption" that Hill was fired strictly for being gay, he added when asked by reporter Katina Rankin.

Stoddard disagreed with the decision. "It is in our employee handbook that no one should be discriminated against, harassed verbally, physically or [by] any other means for their sexuality, their sexual orientation, gender, race or anything of that sort." The openly gay man told Out & About that he fears he is next to go. "Everyone is just now finding out that the owner is anti-gay," he added. "His wife is not in agreement with his view, nor are his children, but he doesn't care."

Workers in Tennessee are not protected by anti-discrimination law on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. "This points to the need for us to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act," Tennessee Equality Project president Christopher Sanders said, "because in many places our community is not protected."

Also, Out & About: Hotel Employee Claims He Was Fired for Being Gay

UPDATE: The Gen. Manager, Leonard Stoddard, was also fired!
Another "Out" Employee Let Go from ARTE Hotel

More Employees Come Forward

Dem. House Passes ENDA/GOP Panders to Christian Right

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) The vote was 235-185, mostly along party lines. The Bill (HR 3685) did not include gender identity so it does not protect transgender people from discrimination. The bill divided the gay community and civil rights groups. The HRC supported the bill withouth gender identity, while the NGLTF and Stonewall Democrats led a coalition to include gender identity. Democratic leaders in the House, including Rep. Barney Frank, decided to bring the bill to a vote without gender identity and offer an amendment to add it. The amendment, offered by Tammy Baldwin, was withdrawn because of the lack of votes to pass it. So it's a mixed deal. After 30 years, ENDA has finally passed the House. Even if the Senate passes it, Bush will probably veto it. With the passage of the Hate Crime bill and ENDa, the Democrats in Congress have fulfilled part of their promises to the gay community, and will also probably pass a "military readiness" bill to overturn the "don't ask don't tell" policy prohibiting gays from serving openly in the U.S. military.

The GOP tried to kill the bill by arguing that it would legalize gay marriage (?) and tried to adjourn the House to stop the vote.

Those gay Republicans who continue to argue that the Democrats never deliver on their promises to the gay community are lying.. as usual. In the meantime, the Republican Presidential candidates continue to ignore the gay community and are pandering for the endorsements of the anti-gay Christian Right. Pat Robertson has endorsed Guilianni, Sam Brownback has endorsed John McCain and the Paul Weyrich has endorsed Mitt Romney. The GOP continues its march towards Fascism.

ENDA Victory ?

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) moves to the House of Representatives following approval thursday in committee. The House Education and Labor Committee voted 27-21 to approve the bill, which would protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in the workplace, but without gender identity, will not cover transgender people. According to Rep. Barney Franks, there are not enough votes to pass ENDA with gender identity included, therefore it was left out of the bill. The exclusion of gender identity has divided the gay community. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and the National Stonewall Democrats have led a coalition of 300 LGBT groups to push Congressional Democrats to include gender idendity in ENDA. In an attempt to salvage ENDA and try to bring LGBT groups together, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has agreed to allow an amendment to the bill to include gender identity. Rep. Tammy Baldwin will be presenting the amendment after ENDA is voted on in the House.

I am divided on this one myself. I want ENDA to include gender identity and protect eveyrone, LGBT, from discrimination. But ENDA was first introduced in 1975 and this is the first time it has been brought to a vote in Congress. Can we afford to kill a legislation the gay community has been working on for 25 years? Is it wrong to pass ENDA without gender identity, and get the protection for gays and lesbians now, and work to add gender identity when there is more support for it and enough votes to pass it? I cannot answer these questions to my own satisfaction. Let's do all we can to get ENDA passed with the amendment! If you haven't done so already, CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE in Congress to urge them to support ENDA and Tammy Baldwin's amendment! If you live in Memphis, call Rep. Steve Cohen (202) 225-3265. Cohen already supports ENDA, but he needs to hear from us to know he has our support.

ENDA: A tough choice

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibt employment discriminaton based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has a good chance of passing in Congress, IF, gender identity is dropped. This is forcing LGBT rights activists and organziations to make a tough choice: Do we work to pass ENDA with gender identity and sexual orientation and it fail or get vetoed, or do we pass ENDA without gender identity have have a better chance of it passing and not getting vetoed? The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and transgendered actitivists say NO WAY to excluding gender identity, while Rep. Barney Frank argues that we should go ahead and pass ENDA without gender identity and work on adding it later. Tough decision.

Gay Anti-Discrimination Bill Introduced (ENDA)

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would make it illlegal to fire or refuse to hire employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity, has been reintroduced into Congress Today. It is still legal to discriminate against gays and lesbians in 33 states and in 42 states it is legal to discriminate against transgender people. A majority of Fortune 500 companies, nearly 90 percent actually, include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies. ENDA was introduced in 1974 and came witin one vote of passing in 1996. With Democrats back in control of Congress, and some bipartisan support, passage is looking pretty good. ENDA is one of three pieces of pro-gay legislation in Congress (along with The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and a bill to abolish the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gays openly serving in the military.

Now that the focus is off of "gay marriage," maybe we can at least get some legislation to protect us from employment discrimination, hate crimes and anti-gay military policies. I think we have a majority of the people on our side on these issues.