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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: National Gay & Lesbian Task Force |
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More Than 90 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations Tell Congress: Don't Leave Transgender People Behind!
Audio press conference: Today, Monday, October 1 Call at 1:25PM for 1:30PM access To participate, call 888.600.4885 Code: 6907479 |
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WASHINGTON - October 1 – More than 90 national and state lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations have signed a letter hand-delivered this morning to Congress that urges lawmakers to reject substitute legislation that removes transgender protections from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and instead get back to work to pass H.R. 2015, an ENDA bill that provides job protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Last Thursday, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) announced that he was introducing new legislation that would only provide protections on the basis of sexual orientation. In the three days since his announcement, there has been widespread community objection to this strategy. The letter delivered to Capitol Hill today makes this point clear. The letter follows: United opposition to sexual-orientation-only employment nondiscrimination legislation October 1, 2007 Dear Madam Speaker and Representatives: The undersigned represent the vast and celebrated diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in this country. Some of us are national leaders of organizations with tens of thousands of members and constituents, some of us run the only local organization in our state. But we are united in a common cause: We ask you to keep working with us on an Employment Non-Discrimination Act that protects everyone in our community, and to oppose any substitute legislation that leaves some of us behind. We ask and hope that in this moment of truth, you will stand for the courage real leadership sometimes demands. You each command enormous respect from all of us and we do appreciate the difficulty of balancing a variety of competing demands. But the correct course in this case and on this legislation is strikingly clear. We oppose legislation that leaves part of our community without protections and basic security that the rest of us are provided. You told us you supported a fully inclusive ENDA and would bring it up for a vote this year. We expect that you will honor that commitment and we look forward to working together to pass a bill that we can all be proud to support. Sincerely, National Organizations State Organizations (grouped by state, alphabetically) ### |
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