Action Matters
Oct. 12th, 2007 04:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
emchyIf you don't know about this, or if you haven't bothered to call / write your representative yet because maybe it seemed like it didn't matter, or other people were doing it, or you were just too busy - well now is the time. It still matters. And it matters A LOT. Many queers throw around words like community and LGBT and assume that we're all in this together. But that means taking action. It means not standing by when people who are a part of your family and community are getting screwed over and having their right to HAVE A JOB violated. This is most basic. To be allowed to work and support yourself and your family and not be at risk just because of who you are. Because of your gender. Queer folks of all stripes have stood up for each other (and not) many times before. Please push aside your apathy and bother. All you have to do is make a two minute phone call.
Keep Jamming Those Phone Lines
Your voice is being heard, but let’s remember this is a race and not a sprint, and we must keep the pressure on. Call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak with your Representative. There are two questions that need to be answered by your Representative:
1) Do you support the united ENDA bill that includes gender identity, House Bill 2015?
2) Will you oppose any motion to recommit? (a procedural tactic used to kill bills).
What you want to hear is YES to both questions. If you don’t hear that urge them to say yes to inclusion and to oppose any motion to kill the bill.
Take Action TODAY!
Urge lawmakers to support an INCLUSIVE Employment Non-Discrimination Act protecting the ENTIRE LGBT Community!!
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) HR 2015 has been making its way through Congress. The original language in the legislation would make it a crime for employers to discriminate against an individual based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. In an effort to supposedly ease passage of this bill lawmakers have proposed creating two separate pieces of legislation out of ENDA: one addressing sexual orientation and the other gender identity.
The Center opposes such tactics. We believe that the LGBT community can accomplish the most when we are united, not divided and pitted against one another. Additionally, separating sexual orientation and gender identity significantly weakens the protections for any LGBT individual who does not conform to traditional gender norms, whether they identify as transgender or not.
To that end, we have joined a coalition of organizations working to keep gender identity and sexual orientation language together in the same bill. We are working with community members and local organizations to take LOCAL ACTION!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Volunteer by staffing our Inclusive ENDA Action Spot at The Center! We have a cell phone on hand and are asking visitors to call their lawmakers, ON THE SPOT and urging them to support a transgender inclusive ENDA and oppose any other version. CONTACT US AT (415) 933.3431 or jenniferv@sfcenter.org to sign up for a 2 hour shift anytime during 8am - 8pm over the next couple of days.
2. Canvass the community with posters and flyers about ENDA! Contact Sarah at (415) 368.8733 or rieselwitz@gmail.com
3. Call Speaker Pelosi (if you live in San Francisco) or your lawmaker at (202) 225.4965 from the special phone at the Center or your own home or cell phone!
Below are links to sample scripts for calling, information about the legislation and other actions you can take!
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
http://thetaskforce.org
National Center for Lesbian Rights
http://www.nclrights.org
Transgender Law Center
http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org
We also encourage you to talk with your friends and neighbors, write letters to the editor, op-eds and/or blog about this important issue!! We can and we must ensure support of an inclusive, employment non-discrimination bill for ALL LGBT Americans!
