Dear Friend,
BREAKING: The Senate will vote this Monday on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that, if passed, will prohibit discrimination in the workforce on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
That means we only have two days to gather support for this important bill and ensure employee protections for LGBTQ Americans. Please take a moment right now to e-mail your Senators and demand support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
We need ENDA to pass now. Due to an oversight in federal anti-discrimination law, 29 states currently permit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and 33 states permit discrimination based on gender identity.
ENDA will extend federal employment discrimination protections currently provided based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age and disability to sexual orientation and gender identity. In other words, ENDA prohibits employers from using a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity as the basis for employment decisions such as hiring, firing, or promotion.
I and our legislative team at the AHA have met personally with many Senators and Representatives from both sides to talk about the importance of passing ENDA, but we need your help to make sure it becomes law.
While this bill has failed to pass in previous sessions of Congress, it’s exceedingly likely that our nation’s changing opinions on LGBTQ rights will give this bill the support it needs to pass through Congress. That’s why it’s so vital that we work together right now to demand that Congress do its job and protect LGBTQ Americans.
Thank you for standing up for equality.
Sincerely,
Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director