ENDA- Important to ACT NOW!

[Cara Allen]

If you are not aware, our liberties as transgenders are up for review by congress, this month.

The ENDA - Employment Non-Discrimination Act assures the rights for GLBT people in work place and hate crime issues. It will assure our rights as citizens. This landmark legislation has been in construction for 30 years. It goes up for a vote this month. To find out more, read here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_Non-Discrimination_Act

Because they don't believe that it will pass with "gender" verbiage, that is being considered for striking from the bill! Barney Frank has been a long-time proponent of the bill, but because he does not feel that he can get the votes if transgenders are included, he is restructuring the bill without it, unless you write your congressman now! If you want to read Mr. Franks justification, go here... http://www.house.gov/frank/ENDASeptember2007.html

If we allow this to occur, it might be many, many years before we can get a further review. Mr. Frank is very shortsighted, and is doing what he thinks is expeditious at our expense.

Please read and sign the petition here,

http://gaylife.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=gaylife&cdn=people&tm=26&gps=273_172_1276_814&f=00&tt=11&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//nctequality.org/


and write your congressman NOW! If you don't know how to contact your congressman, look here...

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

Tell him or her that you want transgender inclusion in the ENDA. If we don't all stand up, we all stand down.

[Marcie Sexton]

My wife and I have both signed it...

Its time all the girls cowgirl up to the bar and get on board...

[Lisa Maren]

Hi Cara

I went to taskforce.org a little while back and did it there. Let's hope we don't get kicked out of the bill. That would be very bad for us!

Best,
Lisa

[CaptLex]

I got an e-mail about this today . . .

United ENDA Supports Congresswoman Baldwin's newly announced efforts to restore gender identity protections to Employment Non-Discrimination Act

Monday, 16 October 2007, 9:45pm

WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced today that she has secured an agreement from the Democratic leadership to introduce an amendment to H.R. 3685 that would restore gender identity protections to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The amendment would be considered on the House floor next week, after the bill moves through the House Education and Labor Committee this Thursday. After her announcement, the United ENDA coalition released the following statement:

Two weeks ago, our community was told that gender identity would not be included in any version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Congressional Leadership expected our community to acquiesce. However, United ENDA effectively communicated the strong opposition of hundreds of organisations and millions of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender community to leadership's efforts to advance a stripped down version of the bill.

It is because of our unprecedented efforts that new options, such as the proposed amendment by Congresswoman Baldwin, are able to come before Congress. Members of Congress responded to the successful strategy of our coalition and many expressed their strong desire to vote for an inclusive bill that protects all lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender people.

Clearly, our preferred strategy is to pass the original ENDA (H.R. 2015) out of committee. However, if we are faced with a non-inclusive bill following the committee vote, we will work with Congresswoman Baldwin to repair ENDA to include protections on the basis of gender identity. We appreciate that Congressional leaders like Congresswoman Baldwin continue to share our commitment to pass an inclusive bill, and we expect Speaker Pelosi and the House leadership will actively support the Baldwin amendment.

[Cara Allen]

While this is not the same as being in the original bill, we, at least get our voices heard, AND they know that we are watching. I plan to have a glass of wine later, to celebrate.

Thanks to the sisters who took the time to write or call, and for the rest of you, it's not too late to get on board!

[melissaK]

it's not too late to get on board!

I put my :2c: in to my Congressional crew (Senators and my district's Congresswoman) a few weeks ago. Then I forwarded the links to my sympathethic friends. I am a big cynic with low expectations, but I know that every e-mail or petition signature matters . . .

hugs,
'lissa

[CaptLex]

Thanks to the sisters who took the time to write or call, and for the rest of you, it's not too late to get on board!
I know a few guys who got involved too . . . :thumbsup:

[SirTrey]

Yep.....I did, Captain! :)

[geri]

cara allen,
thanks for the info. my therapist also asked me to write my congressman, which i did.
i think barney frank is a hypocrit. how dare him. boot him out of office, i say.

mucho hugs,
geri danielle

[Cara Allen]

I know a few guys who got involved too . . . :thumbsup:

Oh, sooooooo sorry, Capt. Lex. Thank you, and all of my other brothers, too!

[battybattybats]

Hi all. I hope everyone in the US are successful in this struggle. Is there any way those of us in the rest of the world can contribute?

Also, as the gender inclusive version of the bill would protect anyone who didn't conform to gender stereotypes and therfore would protect effeminate men and masculine women regardless of being CDs or TSs or not shouldn't this be in the general section?

Lots of CDs risk losing their jobs if they are outed and there have been a number of cases of people losing their jobs just for seeming to effeminate/masculine. As such the bill would protect everyone on the board from the USA who do not conform to gender stereotypes or who rely financially on a partner who may lose their jobs if they are outed.

[CaptLex]

News release from Barney Frank
Congressman, 4th District, Massachusetts
2252 Rayburn Building * Washington, D.C. 20515 * (202) 225-5931
October 19, 2007

FRANK URGES COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT REP. BALDWIN'S GENDER IDENTITY AMENDMENT TO ENDA

Congressman Barney Frank is urging his colleagues to vote for the amendment to be offered by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin to include transgender individuals in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act when it is considered on the House floor.

"The decision to offer such an amendment came out of a Caucus which Chairman George Miller held of the Democratic Members of the Education and Labor Committee. After some discussion, it became clear that offering such an amendment would offer us the best chance to achieve Speaker Pelosi's goal of adopting in the House the most inclusive ENDA bill for which majority support existed.

I argued in favor of transgender inclusion when I testified on the original legislation on September 5, but many of us believed that sending the full inclusive bill to the floor would open the door to a series of demagogic procedural moves that would have endangered our chances of a passing any bill at all. The discussion held by the Democratic Members of the Education and Labor Committee, Congresswoman Baldwin and myself resulted in this approach and I believe it meets the goal of giving people the opportunity to support a fully inclusive bill while avoiding the potential parliamentary death traps that would otherwise have resulted. I will on the floor of the House be repeating essentially the arguments in favor of transgender inclusion which I made in the September 5 hearing, because we will now be able to do that in a procedural setting that allows us to maximize support for an inclusive bill without endangering our chances of getting any bill at all."

[Cara Allen]

News release from Barney Frank
Congressman, 4th District, Massachusetts
2252 Rayburn Building * Washington, D.C. 20515 * (202) 225-5931
October 19, 2007

FRANK URGES COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT REP. BALDWIN'S GENDER IDENTITY AMENDMENT TO ENDA

Congressman Barney Frank is urging his colleagues to vote for the amendment to be offered by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin to include transgender individuals in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act when it is considered on the House floor.

"The decision to offer such an amendment came out of a Caucus which Chairman George Miller held of the Democratic Members of the Education and Labor Committee. After some discussion, it became clear that offering such an amendment would offer us the best chance to achieve Speaker Pelosi's goal of adopting in the House the most inclusive ENDA bill for which majority support existed.

I argued in favor of transgender inclusion when I testified on the original legislation on September 5, but many of us believed that sending the full inclusive bill to the floor would open the door to a series of demagogic procedural moves that would have endangered our chances of a passing any bill at all. The discussion held by the Democratic Members of the Education and Labor Committee, Congresswoman Baldwin and myself resulted in this approach and I believe it meets the goal of giving people the opportunity to support a fully inclusive bill while avoiding the potential parliamentary death traps that would otherwise have resulted. I will on the floor of the House be repeating essentially the arguments in favor of transgender inclusion which I made in the September 5 hearing, because we will now be able to do that in a procedural setting that allows us to maximize support for an inclusive bill without endangering our chances of getting any bill at all."


Very florid of Mr. Frank, but it still means that they have to send the bus back for us. To paraphrase, "Thou doest not protest strongly enough!" I have always thought he was a pretty cool guy, but I feel sold out. This was not his solution, but that of Tammy Baldwin. He is rolling over because of the heat we created. I remain unconvinced, but it is the best we will get for now.

[Tristan]

This link will send you an email to all your representatives and senators (they have separate letters for house and senators but it carries over your info so you just have to go in and click send on the second one) to say that you support ENDA with trans gender protections.

http://www.thetaskforce.org/enda07/enda07.html

[Siobhan Marie]

I've just signed the petition. This is such an important issue and those that something to help get this onto the books in the right form should be made to sit up and be counted.

:hugs: Siobhán x

[CaptLex]

This link will send you an email to all your representatives and senators (they have separate letters for house and senators but it carries over your info so you just have to go in and click send on the second one) to say that you support ENDA with trans gender protections.

http://www.thetaskforce.org/enda07/enda07.html
Thanks, Tristan! :happy:

[Tristan]

You're welcome, I sent it to all whopping 3 of my congressmen. We only get one person in the house. Mark said he sent it to all of his too. I hate the divide and conquer method they are allowing to be done by this bill. Bush won't sign it into law either way, and they don't have the override votes either way, so it's just symbolically showing the conservatives that we can be divided to both be beaten on our rights.