Now is the Time for Congress to Pass an Inclusive ENDA

This guest post is from Mara Keisling, Exec Director, National Center for Transgender Equality; Kate Kendell, Exec Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights; Jody Huckaby, Exec Director, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National; Michael Mitchell, Exec Director, Stonewall Democrats; Selisse Berry, Exec Director, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates; and Rea Carey, Exec Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Because the Employment Non Discrimination Act is desperately needed by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to combat employment discrimination and is also ripe legislatively, our organizations call on the members of the House Committee on Education and Labor and Congress to take immediate action and pass ENDA without further delay.

Passing a bill of far reaching impact such as ENDA requires considerable labor. Written in large part almost fifteen years ago, with even older roots, tens of thousands of people and organizations have formed and advocated for ENDA. Simply from the perspective of LGBT organizations, our lawyers have helped craft language, our field staff members have mobilized supporters, our communications teams have told our stories, and our lobbyists have logged countless thousands of hours on Capitol Hill and in coalition meetings.

Outside of Washington DC, state, local and some national organizations have worked hard to move ENDA and secure employment protections. They have passed state and local laws, developed relationships with their members of Congress, and leveraged those relationships to educate Congress and push for passage of ENDA. Many individual activists and allies have undertaken considerable time and effort to meet with members of Congress and press for their support.

So many people have worked so hard. All the while, though, people across our country wait, desperate to keep the jobs they have and to work in the jobs they seek. They are the ones who matter and they are the ones who cannot afford to wait if they are to overcome discrimination and have the jobs that they need to feed their families, pay the rent, and contribute to their communities. They need to know that they can get work and keep it without being fired for who they are. They cannot wait any longer nor should they have to.

It is time for Congress to take action and pass ENDA now.

It is important for LGBT people to understand as well that many in Congress have already done so much. A bill simply cannot get this close to passing without the support of hardworking members of Congress. Whether it be the bill's lead champions, Representatives Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin, the late Senator Ted Kennedy and now Senator Jeff Merkley, or so many others in leadership and the rank and file, ENDA is clearly important to many members of Congress as a key part of their work for greater equality in the United States. In fact, ENDA now has 192 co-sponsors, more than any other LGBT bill in history.

It is time for Congress to take action and pass ENDA now.

In recent past years, a large obstacle to passage has been a President who was unwilling to sign ENDA into law. That obstacle is gone. President Obama has promised to sign ENDA if passed by Congress and his administration has worked to advance ENDA in significant ways, including providing witnesses who testified with strong statements of support at both House and Senate hearings this year. A large majority of Americans agree that employment should be based on the ability to do the job--this measure isn't even controversial with the general public.

It is time for Congress to take action and pass ENDA now.

So what needs to happen next?

Work is happening in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but the most immediate action needed is for the House Education and Labor Committee to take up ENDA in what is called a markup, in which the bill is debated and "marked up" with changes before being voted on in committee and sent on to the full House. As many people know, the Committee had a markup scheduled on November 18, but it was postponed. As requested, many of our organizations have provided direct technical assistance to the Committee to move things forward. We have also expressed very clearly and repeatedly to the Committee the need for immediate action on ENDA. We are deeply concerned that any delay in passing this much needed bill can have only negative consequences on the Hill and for the employment prospects of LGBT people all over the United States.

It is time for Congress to take action and pass ENDA now.

While our organizations and others have worked tirelessly on advancing ENDA for years, and we have proudly worked side by side with grassroots organizers and concerned people across the country, we are heartened by the clear rising tide of ever more people willing to step up and do their part. We urge all LGBT people and allies who want to join this important work--regardless of what else you do or whatever other action feels right to you--that you make sure you take the single most important and effective action: contact your own members of Congress. With few exceptions, everyone in the U.S. has one Representative and two Senators. Whether you believe them to be supportive, hostile or unsure, they need to hear from all of us that ENDA is vitally important and that the LGBT community needs and wants ENDA now. Please, before you do anything else, please call. And if you want to take additional action, then mobilize others to call. Visit www.unitedENDA.org for tools to take action and www.endanow.com for the latest news on ENDA. Feel free to use these tools, and also to speak from the heart about why ENDA is important to you.

Our voices must be heard on Capitol Hill, loudly and clearly, that employment equality is a principle whose time is come. ENDA must pass now. Let's rally our community and our allies alike to stand up for the rights we deserve and the equality we need. We are so close--please help this bill take the final steps towards becoming law.

It is time for Congress to take action and pass ENDA now.

Akron City Council Votes for Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Today's guest post comes to us from David Horowitz, Vice-President of PFLAG National's Board of Directors and member of the Akron, OH chapter.

"I just returned from the Akron, Ohio City Council meeting where we were joined by six members of PFLAG Akron. The City Council voted 11-2 to put into place an anti-discrimination ordinance the includes sexual orientation and gender identity. The only negative was the exemption for religious institutions and exempting groups that contract with the city to provide workers for youth under the age of 18. Those groups must adhere to the provisions of sexual orientation but not gender identity. While that was upsetting, it is a very narrow sub-group and simply means that gender identity would not be included in their contracts. We were not overjoyed, but it was going to be the case and all we could do is sit and witness. We got most of what we felt important, and for that I am grateful to a vast majority of council and the tremendous support of our mayor. Mayor Plusquellic spoke eloquently for the ordinance and against the amendments and credits PFLAG for his understanding, beginning in 1991. All in all, it was a good night."

-David Horowitz

BREAKING NEWS: D.C. Council votes 11 to 2 to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage in the District

The D.C. Council voted today to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, as the city moves quickly to join five states in allowing gay couples to marry.

After months of debate, the council passed the bill 11 to 2. It still must take a second vote in two weeks before the measure can go to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), who has said he will sign it.

If the bill survives a required congressional review period, the District will join New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Massachusetts in allowing same-sex marriage.

Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), one of two openly gay members of the council, said before the vote he thought it was a day that "would never come."

"It really speaks to the long and rich tradition of tolerance and acceptance that does make up the sense of place in the District of Columbia," said Catania, the chief sponsor of the bill.

Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), another key sponsor, said the vote is a culmination of a decades-long struggle by gay rights leaders in the District.

"I don't think it's a giant step; it's a final step," Mendelson said.

Council members Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and Yvette M. Alexander (D-Ward 7) were the only two members to vote against the bill.

Before casting his vote, Barry gave an impassioned speech noting that he is a longtime supporter of gay rights. But Barry said that his constituents oppose same-sex marriage, and that he believed the council should have authorized a referendum on the issue.

"I stand here today to express in no uncertain terms my strong commitment to the gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgender community on almost every issue except this one," Barry said.

He then went on to plead with gay and lesbian residents not to hold his "no" vote against him.

"It's not fair to make this one issue a litmus test as to one's commitment to human rights, to justice, and I resent those who would make it a litmus test," Barry said.

But council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) said he had no choice but to support the bill, even though many of his constituents oppose same-sex marriage.

"I sit here as a ward member and worry about the consequences but remind everyone . . . we must stand up for the least of those among us" Thomas said.

To read more, click here [Washington Post, free subscription required].

Help PFLAG Ensure that Our LGBT Loved Ones Have Fundamental Workplace Protections!

Across the country, families are preparing to give thanks and celebrate this special time of year. In Washington, DC, your Representatives are preparing to vote on workplace protections for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) loved ones.

Click here to protect our LGBT loved ones from workplace discrimination!

In 29 states, it is legal to fire someone simply because of their sexual orientation; in 38 states it is legal to fire someone because of an individual's gender identity. This means that, in many states, LGBT family members and friends are not protected from unconscionable discrimination.
If you believe that LGBT Americans deserve the right to work without discrimination, please join PFLAG and hundreds of civil and human rights organizations in urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass ENDA-the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009.

Call your Representative today, Tuesday, December 1st. Make sure your Representative knows that you support ENDA and that you want them to support ENDA, too.

You make the call! Your voice could be the one that convinces your Representative to support an inclusive ENDA. Call your Representative and ask them to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, H.R. 3017. With your help, all American families will have more to be thankful for this year.

Son of Hockey Legend Comes Out

Imagine that you are gay.

Imagine that your dad is a hockey legend, both as a player and as a general manager.

Imagine that you go to college in small-town Ohio to play hockey, following in the footsteps of your famous father.

Imagine that, given great talent to play hockey, you sit out your senior year because of the gay slurs you hear in the locker room.

This happened to Brendan Burke. When he did finally come out to his father, his father offered nothing but his love and support.

To read Brendan's story, click here.

Mother of Murdered Gay Teen Speaks Out

Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, a gay teenager from Puerto Rico, was murdered last week in a vicious hate crime. Prosecutors are weighing whether to recommend that Martinez Matos, who was arrested shortly after the murder, be charged under federal hate crimes law.

The U.S. gay community is asking authorities to investigate whether the slaying was a hate crime, said Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "The brutality of the slaying and the fact that he was openly gay leads us to believe it was very possibly a hate crime," Serrano said Tuesday.

Steven's mother, Miriam Mercado, recently spoke out in regards to her son's death and the outpouring of support she has received. You can watch it here:

Small-business Owner Supports Inclusive ENDA for LGBT Employees

Small-business owner Rhea Mohler weighed in on the importance of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, noting that without the protections the legislation would provide, "Virginia workers can be fired simply because of who they are, with no regard to their experience and talent."

Read the full letter to the editor of the Sun Gazette in Northern Virginia.