Gay Today: World

HRC to Congress:
'Pass Employment Non-Discrimination Act'

Compiled by GayToday

Washington, D.C.--The United States Congress was asked yesterday to act swiftly and to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a federal bill introduced today that would prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation.

"We urge Congress to move precipitously and unite our country behind the principles of fairness and equality," said Human Rights Campaign Executive Director Elizabeth Birch.

Sen. Arlen Specter is one of the co-sponsors of the anti-discrimination legislation

"Each day that we wait, more hard working, tax-paying Americans will lose their jobs simply because of who they are. Congress can use its power to put a stop to this injustice and demolish one of the last remaining vestiges of discrimination that haunts our nation."

Currently, it is legal to fire someone in 39 states because he or she is gay. The eleven states that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation are Minnesota, Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Nevada.

ENDA's introduction coincides with the Human Rights Campaign's release of a new report, Documenting Discrimination, that clearly illustrates the need for Congress to pass this bill, HRC asserts. Documenting Discrimination is a 48-page report that gives specific examples of people who were discriminated against in the workplace because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.

The bill's introduction shows ENDA's bipartisan support and diverse array of sponsors. The Senate bill's lead cosponsors are Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and James Jeffords, I-Vt. House lead sponsors are Reps. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., Mark Foley, R-Fla. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.

The bill also has support from business leaders. Fifty-nine companies, from major corporations to small businesses, support passage of ENDA and 15 have announced their support in the past year, including major corporations such as Hewlett-Packard and General Mills.

"Hewlett-Packard Co. is proud to join these esteemed U.S. Senators and members of Congress in supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. We hope that Congress will move quickly to enacth this important legislation," said Gary Fazzino, vice president, government and public affairs.

"Some of our most talented employees are gay or lesbian," said Austin Sullivan, senior vice president for corporate relations at General Mills.

"We wanted to send a clear message to them about how much we value them and how determined we are to see that they and others will not be discriminated against."

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The public also supports the principles of ENDA, according to a June Gallup Poll. The poll asked respondents, "In general, do you think homosexuals should or should not have equal rights in terms of opportunities?" Up from 56 percent in 1977, 85 percent of respondents favored equal opportunity in employment for gays and lesbians. Only 11 percent thought gays and lesbians should be discriminated against based on sexual orientation in the workplace.

A nationwide Harris Interactive poll also taken in June found that 61 percent of Americans favored a federal law prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Additionally, the survey found that 42 percent of adults surveyed believe that such a law currently exists.