ENDA Update

[justatransgirl]

Just for everyones information here's what's going on.

Apparently the ENDA bill has been sent from committe to the House. As early as Tuesday there will be a vote on an ammendment to reinstate transgendered rights once again we need to all take a moment and call our reps.

And especially you guys who love us - your support will make a huge difference - please help us.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

Reprint from San Diego TASC message loop:

New Opportunity to Repair ENDA. New Action Needed!

Over the past two and a half weeks, the collective power of the LGBT
and allied grassroots has been felt in unprecedented ways on Capitol
Hill. We have been urging members of Congress to take up the
original Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) (H.R. 2015), and
drop consideration of the sexual orientation- only ENDA (H.R. 3685).

Although we have not yet gotten what we are asking for-an up-or-down
vote on the original Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 2015),
Congresswoman Baldwin is now planning on offering a gender identity
amendment on the floor of the House when the bill reaches the floor
next week. This isn't normally allowed to happen - the Democratic
majority rarely allows members the chance to amend a bill on the
floor. The only reason this amendment is even an option is because
of the grassroots pressure of the last few weeks.

We repeat: Next week, possibly as early as Tuesday, the House will
be voting on the Baldwin Amendment to add gender identity back into
ENDA.

It is critical that you contact your member of Congress in support
of the Baldwin Amendment immediately. We have only a few days to win
over the necessary YES votes on the amendment.

CALL TODAY!
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to
your Representative based on your zip code. Here is a suggested
message:

Hello, my name is _____ and I live in your district. I am calling to
ask the Representative to support the Baldwin Amendment to the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The Baldwin Amendment adds gender
identity protections back into ENDA and it is critically important
to me that all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are
protected by this legislation. I only support passage of H.R. 3685
if the Baldwin amendment passes. Thank you.

If you can't call, send an email.

~~

EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

- This service will assist you by identifying your Congressperson in
the U.S. House of Representatives and providing contact information:

http://www.house. gov/writerep/

(Find your 9-digit zip code so you can find your congressperson:
http://zip4. usps.com/ zip4/welcome. jsp )

TEXT OF EMAIL

Dear Representative __________.

I am writing to urge you to support the Baldwin Amendment to HR
3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which is likely
going to be voted on next week on the floor.

The Baldwin Amendment restores the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
to its original language with gender identity protections intact.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is one
community and the community wants to move forward together with one
unified bill. As you have heard over the past few weeks, the
majority of the LGBT community, myself included, opposes moving
forward with a sexual orientation- only bill.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

[justatransgirl]

SPEECH OF HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE COMMITTEE
ON EDUCATION AND LABOR

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2007

Mrs. Davis of California: As a consistent supporter of equal rights
for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans since coming to
Congress, I am disappointed with the bill we are marking up today.

I have been a proud original cosponsor of the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act in every session of Congress since the 107th
and I was extremely pleased to see that the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act in the 110th Congress included discrimination
protections for transgender Americans for the first time ever.
Unfortunately, that is the not the bill we are marking up today.
The bill we are marking up does not include protections for
transgender Americans.

I have met with transgender Americans in my district on many
occasions and on each of these occasions they have expressed to me
their pride that they live in a country that might finally live up
to its founding ideal that "all men are created equal." We have let
each and every one of these Americans down today.

Although I will reluctantly vote to report this imperfect bill to
the full House today, I hope that my colleagues will join me in
supporting an amendment on the House floor to protect our fellow
transgender Americans from the cruel effects of employment
discrimination.

It is time, finally, for us to match that holy proposition enshrined
in the Declaration of Independence, not only with our words but also
with our deeds.

-----------

Copyright Statement: Material appearing in this e-mail is
distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have
expressed an interest in receiving the article material for research
and educational purposes. This is in accordance with Title 17 U. S.
C. section 107. Please note that distribution of articles doesn't
constitute endorsement of the articles' content; "opposition"
articles are distributed to educate interested readership about
contrary and unfavorable standpoints.