20091006 ENDA act


	The Episcopal Public Policy Network Policy Alert

Join advocates from all across the country telling Congress to end workplace discrimination against our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender neighbors. The LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) community faces constant arbitrary employment discrimination, yet there are no federal laws in place to offer a legal recourse from wrongful termination and other forms of employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Millions of LGBTQ Americans must hide their identities at work for fear of losing their livelihood based on who they are rather than their job performance or qualification. A bipartisan bill pending in Congress known as H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, would give sexual orientation protected status under federal employment law, which now only applies to sex, age, religion, race, national origin, military status, and disability. This bill is gaining momentum, and we hope you will lend your voice to our advocacy efforts. The text of H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act House Committee on Education and Labor’s Hearing on ENDA ADDITIONAL RESOURCES General Convention Resolution 2009-C048: Support for Employment Non-discrimination Act. Human Rights Campaign ENDA Background Page The American Civil Liberties Union's groundbreaking comprehensive report on employment discrimination against the LGBTQ community, Working in the Shadows Degrees of Equality: a national study examining workplace climate for LGBT employees An interfaith coalition asking Congress to pass ENDA You can view the letter this page sends to your members of congress, here. Remember you can edit any portion of this letter in the form below.

Welcome Ana

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Welcome Ana White
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Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, DC-1, Democratic Party

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Dear Representative Norton:

As you may know, federal law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, national origin, military status, or disability. However, no federal law exists to protect the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) community from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Also, in at least 29 states, it is legal for an employer to fire or refuse to hire an LGBTQ person solely on the basis of sexual orientation. The effects of this discrimination have been devastating. Millions of Americans go to work every day fearing the loss of their jobs unless they conceal their identities, in addition to the identities of their family members and loved ones, from their employers and coworkers. Whenever an excellent worker is terminated, refused a promotion or entry into a job, or harassed and threatened at work for reasons that have nothing to do with job performance and qualification, our talent-driven economy suffers and our country's values are degraded. We respectfully request that you support passage of H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prevent this arbitrary discrimination against millions of Americans simply for being who they are. The Episcopal Church has already lifted its voice in favor of ENDA. At the 76th General Convention this summer, Episcopalians passed a resolution in support of ENDA, citing its consistency with our duty to "work for the guidance of the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good" (The Book of Common Prayer). If ENDA is passed into law during the 111th Congress, federal protection from employment discrimination will finally be enjoyed by our LGBTQ neighbors. To honor one another, we can start by recognizing that every person in this country should have the right to earn a living without fear of wrongful termination or other forms of arbitrary discrimination. Please support fundamental fairness for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans by voting for ENDA.

Sincerely,

Ana White
110 Maryland Ave. NE Suite 309
Washington , DC 20002