Emergency Rally Thursday on Capitol Hill to Save ENDA

Activists from GetEQUAL will hold an emergency Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) protest on Capitol Hill tomorrow at noon. The action is part of a series of events during the week to pressure the congress to vote on this important piece of legislation which will bar discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

“We’ve heard all we can stand to hear from leaders in Congress, they promised a vote this calendar year and we expect them to honor their word,” said Robin McGhee, co-founder of GetEQUAL. “As the window continues to slowly close on available legislative calendar dates to vote on ENDA in the House and in the Senate, we will continue to hold Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid accountable for the direct promise they made to the LGBT community. Our community has done the work to lobby and educate members of Congress on the need for a fully inclusive ENDA and now is the time to stop the talking and start the voting” (Echelon).

WHAT: Emergency Capitol Hill Protest to Save the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
WHEN: Thursday, May 20th, 2010
WHERE: Corner of Independence Ave SE & 1st ST SE (by the Library of Congress)
TIME: 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm (ET)

Activists Plan Demo at Speaker Pelosi's Office Tomorrow Over ENDA

Activists from GetEQUAL will be protesting in front of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon. They are demanding that the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) be moved for a vote in congress immediately. The Democratic party has continually promised to hold a vote on this legislation but keeps postponing it.

Tuesday, May 18 from 430-630pm
7th & Mission St.

If you can't make it to San Francisco, please, contact Speaker Pelosi's office in both SF - 415.556.4862, and, DC - (202) 225-0100.

Tell Speaker Pelosi It's Time for ENDA

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as soon as she knew they had enough votes secured to pass the legislation. If passed this historic bill would prohibit job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. The three openly gay congress members Barney Frank, Jared Polis, and Tammy Baldwin believe the votes are there and have been pressuring their colleagues to bring the bill to the floor.

Speaker Pelosi did an amazing job garnering the votes and pushing the controversial health care reform bill through and promised that after that was settled she would take up ENDA.

Now is the time to pass this legislation and you could voice your opinion to Pelosi via this e-action form.

Blogswarm to Demand Speaker Pelosi Hold Vote on ENDA

Today thousands of people will put pressure on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to a vote. Dr. Jillian T. Weiss of Bilerico put out the call to action and many LGBT and progressive blogs are participating in this blogswarm.

ENDA (HR 3017) will prohibit job discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The majority of the house and senate support this bill and Obama favors this civil rights legislation being passed. With a democratic majority now is the time to get ENDA on the floor for an up or down vote.

Please call Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Ask that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, HR 3017, move to a vote.

Tell the Senate to Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act

The Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) is having a hearing in the House of Representatives now, click here for a live feed of the coverage. ENDA would ensure that employees are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity/expression. The bill would make sure that an employee cannot be fired, refused hiring, or promotion simply based on these attributes.

It is still legal in 29 states to fire someone for their sexual orientation, and in 38 states for gender identity.

The senate has for the first time introduced a fully inclusive ENDA. Please urge your senators to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation.

Final Push to Pass ENDA September 8th NCTE Conference Call

Tonight, Tuesday, September 8, NCTE will be hosting a conference call to bring you up to date and let you know how you can help get the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed.

This may be our last chance to impact this bill in 2009 and we need your help.

Congress is back in session and it's time for us to consider what we've accomplished this summer and look at the steps we need to take this month as we move closer and closer to a vote. The call tonight is completely free but you will need to register (this allows us to call on you for questions and tells us how many people are present).

Please take just a minute to register now.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS
Date: Tuesday, September 8
Time: 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT, 6 p.m.MT, 5 p.m. PT
Click here to register today
Registration is completely free

Crossposted via Planet Transgender.

Pass ENDA Now!

Today, the Senate has introduced a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act which would protect workers against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This federal bill would make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote employees simply based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The house currently has a similar bill working its way through the chamber.

Send a clear message to your lawmakers to support passage of an inclusive ENDA.

The Inclusive ENDA Campaign

The inclusive ENDA campaign is setting up meetings with your Senators and Representatives in August to talk about support for an inclusive Employment Non Discrimination Act that protects sexual orientation, gender identity/expression. Sign up to meet with your senators and legislators on this important piece of legislation, or email ENDAcampaign@gmail.com

There are 20 fair-minded House Republicans who appear to be open towards ENDA, but have not yet gone public with their support. There are also 45 demcocrats who have yet to go public with their position.

Please email and ask them to support HR 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Bilerico has a list of the representatives who are open to possibly voting for ENDA, please contact them.

Persuade 48 Democrats to Endorse ENDA

48 Democrats in the House of Representatives have yet to come out with their position on the Employment Non Discrimination Act which would protect employers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. The bill is currently about 20 votes shy of the 218 votes needed to pass.

The following is a list of undecided Democrats:

Bobby Bright (AL), Parker Griffith (AL), Vic Snyder (AR), Dennis Cardoza (CA), Allen Boyd, (FL), Sanford Bishop (GA), David Scott (GA), Walt Minnick (ID), Bobby Rush (IL), Daniel Lipinksi (IL), Deborah Halvorsen (IL), Jerry Costello (IL), Peter Visclosky (IN), Joe Donnelly (IN), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Ben Chandler (KY), Frank Kratovil (MD), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Bart Stupak (MI), Mark Schauer (MI), Travis Childers (MS), Bennie Thompson (MS), Dina Titus (NV), Michael McMahon (NY), Scott Murphy (NY), Paul Tonko (NY), Daniel Maffei (NY), Earl Pomeroy (ND), Dan Boren (OK), Kathleen Dahlkemper (PA), Jason Altmire (PA), Christopher Carney (PA), Paul Kanjorski (PA), John Murtha (PA), John Spratt (SC), Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Al Green (TX), Solomon Ortiz (TX), Henry Cuellar (TX), Gene Green (TX), Glenn Nye (VA), Bobby Scott (VA), Thomas Perriello (VA), Rick Boucher (VA), Gerald Connolly (VA), Alan Mollohan (WV), Ron Kind (WI), David Obey (WI).

Please visit the google docs listing of telephone, emails, and fax numbers of these representatives.

Let them know the ENDA will protect LGBT people from unfair and unnecessary job discrimination and that you urge their support.

American Airlines Endorses Inclusive ENDA

American Airlines officially endorses an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that is inclusive of sexual orientation & gender identity. Please show them your appreciation by supporting the company and sending a thank you letter!

"(We are) proud to express our strong support of federal workplace non-discrimination legislation that would extend basic job protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. We are proud to have been the first major airline to implement same-sex domestic partner benefits, first to implement both sexual orientation and gender identity in our workplace non-discrimination policies, and first to have a recognized LGBT employee resource group –GLEAM,"

American Airlines is a corporate leader in the resurgent effort to remind Congress of the will of the American people by writing a letter in support of a fully inclusive ENDA. Please show your appreciation by emailing American Airlines customer relations and to fly American!"

Crossposted via our friends at Planet Transgender

San Francisco Bay Area Residents Take Stand Against HRC

"On Saturday, July 26th, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is hosting its annual San Francisco gala dinner and fund raiser at the Westin St. Francis hotel. They’ll raise money, cheer and applaud their apparent successes in Washington DC, announce a sudden, renewed interest in marriage, and claim that they are advancing the nation’s LGBT agenda.

But we in San Francisco’s LGBT community are preparing our OWN July 26th party in the streets, outside of the Westin St. Francis. We also encourage others in the LGBT community and our allies to boycott HRC’s gala event, due to HRC’s ongoing refusal to advocate for federal legislation that protects all Americans from discrimination based on gender identity and expression."

Sign the Petition to Show Solidarity with the HRC Gala Boycott!