Badpuppy Gay Today

Monday, 16 June 1997

With the June 10 reintroduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in Congress, now is the time to build support among our lawmakers.

ENDA would protect Americans from job discrimination based on sexual orientation, which remains legal in most states. ENDA would prohibit preferential treatment and quotas, and it would not apply to religious organizations, small businesses or the military.

"ENDA is based on a fundamental principle most of us share: Americans should be judged at work based on their performance at work," said Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., speaking at a Capitol Hill press conference announcing its reintroduction.

"[ENDA's opponents] do us the enormous favor of lying about the bill," said ENDA's other House lead sponsor, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. "Correctly described, there is nothing that can be said against it."

Noting that last year, ENDA came within one vote of passing in the Senate, lead sponsor Sen. James Jeffords, R-Vt., said at the June 10 news conference "It is my hope that in the 105th Congress, we can bridge that narrow gap and pass this legislation."

In April, President Clinton and Vice President Gore reaffirmed their strong support for the bill, and the Human Rights Campaign released the results of a new bipartisan poll showing that 68 percent of voters favor passage of ENDA. The poll found support for the measure is strong.

Last November, a poll conducted for HRC by Greenberg Research Inc. also found that an impressive 63 percent of Christians favor such legislation, when informed of the current lack of legal protection from job discrimination based on sexual orientation.

At its reintroduction, ENDA had already earned a record number of cosponsors -- but more are needed to move the bill forward. Act Now!

Urge your U.S. senators and representative to protect Americans from job discrimination based on sexual orientation by supporting and cosponsoring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Refer to the bill by its full name and number -- S. 869 in the Senate, and H.R. 1858 in the House.

Call your senators and representative through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. If you aren't sure who your members of Congress are, just ask the switchboard operator and you will be informed and then connected.

You can also send electronic messages to Congress through the Human Rights Campaign's online action center at http://www.hrc.org.

Write to Congress through the mail as well. Include your name and address, and send your politely worded letter to:

The Honorable _______
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

-or-

The Honorable _______
U.S. House of Representative
Washington, DC 20515

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. To join, call (800) 777-4723.