ENDA update: House needs reassurance - support inclusive ENDA
Dustin on Oct 2nd 2007
By now, many of you are aware that Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), an historic piece of legislation for the LGBTQ community, is on shaky ground on Capitol Hill. Nervous legislators are concerned that the original version of ENDA, which is transgender-inclusive, will not make it to the White House. Family Pride and countless other organizations are 100% committed to passing the original, inclusive ENDA.
We know - and history shows - that when you leave one group behind, you perpetuate inequality, not move it forward. In the past, lesbian, gay and bisexual people have been pushed out of legislation in order to pass a watered down version. To our lesbian, gay and bisexual readers out there, let’s not play the same games that have been played with our lives. Let’s make sure the original ENDA passes, with transgender inclusion intact! Some in our community will argue that we should pass the non-inclusive ENDA now and come back later to protect transgender people. Let’s be clear: even in the state of Massachusetts - the only state in the nation with marriage equality - employment nondiscrimination was passed without transgender inclusion years ago, which it still lacks to this day.
Family Pride tips its hat to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) for leading the fight for an inclusive ENDA. Visit the Task Force’s action center to participate in this historic fight, taking the side of true equality - not equality for some on the backs of others.
As long as we are prisoners of gender we are not free as a people. I support this crucial legislation and consider transgender protections to be important for all- HLGBT people.