Act Now: Employment Non-Discrimination Act is Moving!

Aloha!

 ENDA IS HEATING UP & CONGRESS NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU!!

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is moving quickly through both houses of Congress - but our contacts on Capitol Hill tell us they are not hearing enough from equality-minded people who support the bill, and that we do not yet have the votes needed to pass ENDA. 

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is scheduled to hold its hearing on ENDA this Thursday, November 5.  The House of Representatives markup on ENDA is expected to take place as early as next week--and the full House will likely vote on ENDA before Thanksgiving.  

So we must act quickly -- and we need your help.  Contact your Representative and Senators immediately and urge them to support ENDA today and ask them to take swift action to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Our legislators must hear, loudly and clearly, that this bill is our top priority. 

Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121. Give the operator your zip code and ask to be connected to your Representative. Then, after leaving your message, hang up and call again to be connected to your two Senators.

Suggested voice mail message: My name is _____ and a proud resident of (your city, state). I am calling to urge Representative/Senator to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584), to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. Please take swift action to pass ENDA. I can be reached at _______ (provide your phone number). Mahalo.

Or send an urgent email to your Representative and Senators by filling out the form and the button on the right.

It only takes a few minutes to make the calls or send the email, but the impact of your actions will touch lives for many years to come.



Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Representative Mazie Hirono (if you live in Congressional District 2)
Representative Neil Abercrombie (if you live in Congressional District 1)
Senator Daniel Akaka (if you live in Hawaii)
Senator Daniel Inouye (if you live in Hawaii)

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Support & Pass ENDA Now!

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

Today, employers in many states can still legally fire people because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. These hardworking Americans deserve the same protection as their coworkers, and ENDA would go a long way to making this a reality.

I urge you to support ENDA - the bill that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans from losing their jobs simply because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.

GLBT Americans deserve and need the ability to work -- just like every American. Please help by supporting ENDA (H.R. 3017 / S. 1584) and bringing the bill to a vote in the House and Senate this fall.

Mahalo.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
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What's At Stake:

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) Talking Points

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) prohibits employment discrimina­tion on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. ENDA creates express protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people similar to those available under existing federal discrimination laws for other protected classes of workers.

 

Already nearly 40% of the US population (12 states and over 100 localities) protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers from discrimination.

Twelve states and more than 100 localities protect individuals from workplace discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. However, coverage is incon­sistent across the country, including from state to state, and local ordinances are often under-enforced. A federal law is needed to expressly and uniformly prohibit workplace discrimination throughout the United States.

 

Nondiscrimination is a best practice in Corporate America.

Corporate America generally opposes discrimination and has enacted policies protecting its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. More than 150 Fortune 500 companies have policies that include gender identity/expression. Companies have adopted these workplace non-discrimination policies because they are motivated by the bottom line: hiring and retaining the best, most experienced person for the job makes good business sense; employees who do not have to fear discrimination are loyal and productive; and searching for and training replacement employees is expensive.

 

Which employers are included?

ENDA applies to the same entities covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These include private employers with 15 or more employees, labor unions, employment agencies and federal, state and local governments. The legislation exempts the Armed Forces, religious institutions, and employers with less than 15 employees.

 

Gender identity is essential to the bill.

It is critical that the bill cover both sexual orientation and gender identity.  The express inclusion of gender identity is vital because transgender people face pervasive workplace discrimination, and existing federal law has proven inadequate to protect these workers. On this, the LGBT community is speaking in one voice: we must move forward with employment protections that will protect all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

 

Calls and emails about ENDA are needed to pass this bill in 2009. 


Campaign Expiration Date:
December 18, 2009