The LGBT and allied community is in the midst of a historic journey towards passage of a comprehensive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that will protect all members of our community in the workplace. But this journey, as you know, has been full of twists and turns.
After years of work building a coalition of organizational, legal and political support for a comprehensive ENDA, we were surprised earlier this fall by the decision on the part of House leadership to remove gender identity from the bill. This move significantly weakened the bill, and threatened to divide the LGBT community.
In response, however, the LGBT community has come together in a show of unified support rarely seen in recent history. More than 300 organizations and thousands of individuals across the country have mobilized in support of an ENDA that fully protects each and every member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. We continue to work with House leadership and other Representatives to find a way to pass a comprehensive, inclusive bill.
The weakened version of ENDA, one that does not include protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity, has now passed out of committee, and is scheduled for a full House vote later this week. Representative Tammy Baldwin, a cosponsor of the original inclusive ENDA, has committed to introducing an amendment to the bill that would repair the damage done to ENDA by restoring the gender identity provision.
GLAD and our coalition partners in UnitedENDA commend and support Representative Baldwin's efforts to restore ENDA to its original inclusive and comprehensive state, and we URGE you to contact your Representative TODAY to ask her or him to vote for the amendment when it is raised on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Working together as a community, we can ensure that a federal Employment Non- Discrimination Act is signed into law that fully protects all members of our community. Please visit www.glad.org for future updates as this journey continues.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is New England's leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression. Since 1978, through impact litigation and public education, GLAD has worked to create a better world for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender individuals and people living with HIV.
To learn more about GLAD and be added to our e-mail list, please visit our website. To help GLAD fund the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, please make a donation today - visit our Donation Page at www.glad.org/Donate_to_GLAD. If you would like to be removed from our email list please send a message from the address where you received this message to unsubscribe@glad.org. Thank you for getting involved and for supporting GLAD.
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