Articles tagged with: Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
Ask Lambda Legal: Out at Work
In this month’s “Ask Lambda Legal” column, a job applicant asks whether being “out” during the job interview process might lead to employment discrimination.
UAFA reintroduced, bi-national couples sought
Two equality bills were reintroduced in Congress today: Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). ENDA sheds light on workers fired for being gay or trans, and UAFA raises awareness of bi-national couples torn apart by the ban on same sex marriage. (A repeal of DOMA was introduced earlier this session.)
Bi-national couples have one partner who is an American or a legal permanent resident, and the other partner is from another country. Several bi-national same sex couples were in the news lately when a partner was about to be deported, sometimes to a home country where they may be targeted for being gay. Because of DOMA, Americans cannot sponsor same sex spouses for citizenship.
Tom works with Immigration Equality, an organization fighting to end discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans and legal permanent residents in our nation’s immigration laws. He is working on building support for UAFA from Alaska’s members of Congress, and looking for more bi-national LGBT couples to share their stories.
When UAFA was introduced last year, Tom (working on the same issue but for a different group) explained the importance of UAFA to Bent Alaska and asked us to contact Senators Begich and Murkowski. Recently, Tom wrote to us again, about his current project sharing our stories for UAFA:
“Dear Friends,
Judy and Karin are spending their retirement traveling among 4 countries – missing family birthdays, hospital visits, and weddings – so that they can be together.Although Edward started a business in the United States and cares for his ailing partner, he could be deported at a moment’s notice because John, an American citizen, can’t sponsor him for residency.
Jaylynn and Shirley have been together for over two decades, and are raising twin boys – but even as an American citizen, Jaylynn worries every day that her wife will be sent back to the Phillipines.
Do you have a story like these, or know someone who does? We are working with Immigration Equality to pass the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would allow gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor their foreign born partners for residency in the United States – and we need your help.
Stories like yours, and those you’ve just read, are the most powerful weapons our community has – whether we are fighting for marriage equality, non-discrimination laws, or immigration rights. Your story makes a difference to members of Congress, to the media, and to other couples fighting for equality. Please take a moment to visit Immigration Equality’s website and submit your story.
If you would like to find out other ways that you can help pass Uniting American Families Act, please contact Tom Tierney of Immigration Equality, at ttierney@immigrationequality.org
Thank you for all you do for equality.”
UAFA finished the last Congress with 162 co-sponsors in the House and Senate. That was a record, and they want to set another record this year. Neither of our senators is a co-sponsor of UAFA.
Please call Senator Begich and Senator Murkowski at the Capitol switchboard: (202) 225-3121 and ask them to co-sponsor the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) this year.
The election is finally over. Well, not quite.
The election is finally over. Or… not quite. With 432 out of 438 precincts reporting, the front-runner in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race is “Write-in Votes” with 41.0% of the vote — nearly 7 points ahead of Tea Party-leaning Republican candidate Joe Miller (34.2%). Democratic candidate Scott McAdams, who consistently polled with the best “favorables” — i.e., people liked him better than either Murkowski or Miller — nonetheless drew only 23.74% of the vote counted so far.
Action: Support ENDA
A Message from Alaskans Together for Equality
In Alaska, firing a person because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity is still legal. This is also true in 60% of the United States where gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens are not protected against employment discrimination. Congress is getting ready to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would offer protection from discrimination for LGBT citizens, and action on our part is required. If we want the discriminatory status quo to change, it is our responsibility to speak up and ask our Congressman Don Young and our Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski to vote in support of fairness and basic protections from job discrimination for LGBT Americans.
Neither Representative Young nor Senator Murkowski have made public their support for ENDA. We can help by writing letters to the editors of our local newspapers on the importance of passing this legislation. We can also spread the word among our friends and family to take action in support of this legislation. Most importantly and easy to do – we can email and call all three members of our Congressional delegation. This will only take about 5-10 minutes – isn’t ending discrimination worth that?
Call and email Congressman Young, Senator Murkowski, and Senator Begich today.
Contact Congressman Don Young
at 202-225-5765 and via e-mail.
Contact Senator Murkowski
at 202-224-6665 and via e-mail.
Contact Senator Begich
at 202-224-3004 and via e-mail.
Here is a suggested phone message:
“My name is____________ and I am a proud resident of (your city, Alaska). I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017 and S. 1584), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. Please take swift action to pass ENDA. I can be reached at ________ (provide your phone number). Thank you.”
Sample email message to our Congressional delegation (please personalize):
“Subject: Support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584)
Honorable Congressman/Senator______________:
Today, employers in many states including Alaska can still legally fire people because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. These hardworking Americans deserve the same protection as their coworkers, and Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would go a long way to making this a reality.
Please support an inclusive ENDA – the bill that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans from losing their jobs simply because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
LGBT Americans deserve and need the ability to work — just like every American. Please help by supporting ENDA (H.R. 3017 and S. 1584) and bringing the bill to a vote in the House and Senate soon.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Insert Name,
address and phone number]”
We must speak up loudly and clearly! The opponents are flooding Congressional offices with calls and emails – we all need to call in and speak up against discrimination. Our elected officials need to hear that this bill (ENDA) is a top priority of fair-minded Alaskans.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed because the LGBT community and our many allies spoke up so loudly and clearly – that they even heard us in Washington DC.
We have a real opportunity for positive change!
Change will come, if enough of us act. The more of us who call, the faster full equality for LGBT citizens will arrive!
After you call and write your email, please forward this message or tell your friends and family what is at stake and ask them to contact their Congressional delegation too.
Are you a member of Alaskans Together for Equality yet? You can help by joining our organization and supporting our important advocacy work for LGBT equality across Alaska by becoming a member today.
