We hope by now you have seen news reports about the Task Force's decision to
oppose the current version of the Employment NonDiscrimination Act (ENDA). I
walk through our reasoning in this Op-Ed in The Advocate (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=8nJHIOOpFdIEILMzD&s=bpKMLXOAIgKIJNMqElH&m=esIKKZPIKgJQIdI)
and encourage you to read it.
It was not a decision we made lightly. We
have appreciated hearing from so many of you through social media, phone calls
and e-mails, expressing support for doing the right thing regarding ENDA's broad
religious exemption.
We simply couldn't continue to endorse a piece of
legislation that -- especially in the light of the Supreme Court's recent Hobby
Lobby ruling -- contains a huge loophole to discriminate against LGBT employees.
The overwhelming majority of people across this country believe that employers
shouldn't have a free pass to discriminate. Millions of people of faith believe
that discrimination is immoral. That's why we took the stand we took -- to
ensure that in the end we get the protections we have fought for and deserve.
We believe LGBT people deserve the same protections modeled on the
language that's in Title VII of the landmark federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This language contains protections and a reasonable religious accommodation.
Equality is equality.
Please keep sharing your feedback with us as we
intensify the fight for legislation that really provides the employment
protections LGBT people deserve.
My best,
Rea Carey, Executive
Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
PS: Read
more about our decision to oppose ENDA in an Advocate Op-Ed here (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=bqKNJXPBIgLKKVPMF&s=bpKMLXOAIgKIJNMqElH&m=esIKKZPIKgJQIdI).
DONATE
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=etITK6MNKjKQI5OZE&s=bpKMLXOAIgKIJNMqElH&m=esIKKZPIKgJQIdI)
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund builds the
grassroots political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
community. The Task Force Action Fund does this through direct and grassroots
lobbying to defeat anti-LGBT ballot initiatives and legislation, and works to
pass pro-LGBT legislation and other progressive initiatives. The Task Force
Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation incorporated in New York.
Contributions to the Task Force Action Fund are not tax-deductible. National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, 1325 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 600,
Washington, D.C., 20005. Phone 202.393.5177. TTY 202.393.2284.
BUILD
POWER TAKE ACTION CREATE CHANGE
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=hmKZKfNZImIWKfNcG&s=bpKMLXOAIgKIJNMqElH&m=esIKKZPIKgJQIdI)
Showing posts with label ENDA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ENDA. Show all posts
Friday, July 11, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
President Obama Signs Executive Order to Provide Workplace Protection to Federal Contractors
In
a huge victory for equality, the White House just announced it intends to
protect 16 million more Americans from discrimination in the workplace.
The President plans to sign an executive order that will provide protections to
people working for federal contractors nationwide who could face everyday job
discrimination.
The news also provides huge momentum to our efforts to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Please, send a note of thanks to President Obama now.
Join us in thanking President Obama, and ask him to issue a strong executive order right away to provide badly-needed workplace protections to millions of people.
President Obama is taking this bold step thanks to people like you pushing for what's right. The news is the culmination of six years of advocacy by the members and supporters of the Human Rights Campaign. After five million emails, principled advocacy by our allies in the civil rights community and on Capitol Hill and a mountain of compelling evidence, our efforts paid off. We won!
The number of people affected by this historic decision is staggering.
Federal contractors employ more than 20 percent of the American workforce. According to the Williams Institute, an executive order would protect 11 million more American workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and up to 16.5 million more American workers from discrimination based on gender identity.
The executive order will also require companies that have historically turned a blind eye to workplace discrimination to change their policies.
Exxon Mobil Corporation—whose shareholders voted for the 17th time to reject an anti-discrimination policy for its LGBT workers just days ago—will now have to provide non-discrimination protections to its LGBT employees and prospective hires. Year after year, Exxon has held the lowest spot in HRC's Corporate Equality Index, with a score of negative 25 out of a possible 100 points. No other company has ever received a negative score.
Not only will this order protect LGBT workers in companies like these—it will also speed up the pace of change by declaring that our government will only award taxpayer dollars to companies with pro-equality workplace policies.
Of course, this is not the end of the fight for comprehensive workplace protection nationwide. We still need our more than 1.5 million members and supporters to speak out and push for a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the House to make workplace equality the law of the land.
But today is proof that the momentum from ENDA's strong, bipartisan passage in the Senate last fall is unyielding.
Send a letter of thanks to President Obama for once again standing on the right side of history, and encourage him to promptly issue a strong federal contractor executive order.
Together, we are pushing the country we love to treat everyone equally—and today promises great progress.
Thank you for all that you do, and for sticking with us through to the day when workplace equality is a reality for all Americans.
Sincerely,
Chad Griffin
President
Human Rights Campaign
The news also provides huge momentum to our efforts to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Please, send a note of thanks to President Obama now.
Join us in thanking President Obama, and ask him to issue a strong executive order right away to provide badly-needed workplace protections to millions of people.
President Obama is taking this bold step thanks to people like you pushing for what's right. The news is the culmination of six years of advocacy by the members and supporters of the Human Rights Campaign. After five million emails, principled advocacy by our allies in the civil rights community and on Capitol Hill and a mountain of compelling evidence, our efforts paid off. We won!
The number of people affected by this historic decision is staggering.
Federal contractors employ more than 20 percent of the American workforce. According to the Williams Institute, an executive order would protect 11 million more American workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and up to 16.5 million more American workers from discrimination based on gender identity.
The executive order will also require companies that have historically turned a blind eye to workplace discrimination to change their policies.
Exxon Mobil Corporation—whose shareholders voted for the 17th time to reject an anti-discrimination policy for its LGBT workers just days ago—will now have to provide non-discrimination protections to its LGBT employees and prospective hires. Year after year, Exxon has held the lowest spot in HRC's Corporate Equality Index, with a score of negative 25 out of a possible 100 points. No other company has ever received a negative score.
Not only will this order protect LGBT workers in companies like these—it will also speed up the pace of change by declaring that our government will only award taxpayer dollars to companies with pro-equality workplace policies.
Of course, this is not the end of the fight for comprehensive workplace protection nationwide. We still need our more than 1.5 million members and supporters to speak out and push for a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the House to make workplace equality the law of the land.
But today is proof that the momentum from ENDA's strong, bipartisan passage in the Senate last fall is unyielding.
Send a letter of thanks to President Obama for once again standing on the right side of history, and encourage him to promptly issue a strong federal contractor executive order.
Together, we are pushing the country we love to treat everyone equally—and today promises great progress.
Thank you for all that you do, and for sticking with us through to the day when workplace equality is a reality for all Americans.
Sincerely,
Chad Griffin
President
Human Rights Campaign
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Why Gay and Transgender Discrimination Outside the Workplace: We Need Protections in Housing, Health Care, and Public Accommodations
By Crosby Burns, Philip Ross
Posted on Center for American Progress, reposted at keystothecloset.blogspot.com
An overflow crowd listens to a testimony on a gay civil rights bill during a public hearing in Olympia, Washington.
Many people know that gay and transgender individuals experience high rates of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. But gay and transgender individuals also experience discrimination in other areas, such as housing, healthcare, and areas of public accommodations. Unfortunately, no federal law currently exists to shield gay and transgender individuals from discrimination.
Activists and lawmakers have long advocated for laws such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, that would protect gay and transgender workers from senseless discrimination on the job. More needs to be done to combat discrimination against gay and transgender Americans not only in the workplace, but in all spheres of life.
This memo examines this problem more closely to show why comprehensive legislation is needed to protect these Americans. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/07/lgbt_discrimination.html
Posted on Center for American Progress, reposted at keystothecloset.blogspot.com
An overflow crowd listens to a testimony on a gay civil rights bill during a public hearing in Olympia, Washington.
Many people know that gay and transgender individuals experience high rates of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. But gay and transgender individuals also experience discrimination in other areas, such as housing, healthcare, and areas of public accommodations. Unfortunately, no federal law currently exists to shield gay and transgender individuals from discrimination.
Activists and lawmakers have long advocated for laws such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, that would protect gay and transgender workers from senseless discrimination on the job. More needs to be done to combat discrimination against gay and transgender Americans not only in the workplace, but in all spheres of life.
This memo examines this problem more closely to show why comprehensive legislation is needed to protect these Americans. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/07/lgbt_discrimination.html
Friday, June 10, 2011
Gay and Transgender People Face High Rates of Workplace Discrimination and Harassment
Data Demonstrate Need for Federal Law
Vandy Beth Glenn, who lost her job with the Georgia General Assembly when her boss fired her because she was transgender, testifies at a hearing regarding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act on September 23, 2009. Lawmakers should swiftly enact ENDA to level the playing field for all American workers, gay or straight, transgender or not.
By Crosby Burns, Jeff Krehely | June 2, 2011
Gay and transgender individuals continue to face widespread discrimination in the workplace.* Studies show that anywhere from 15 percent to 43 percent of gay people have experienced some form of discrimination and harassment at the workplace. Moreover, a staggering 90 percent of transgender workers report some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job. These workplace abuses pose a real and immediate threat to the economic security of gay and transgender workers.
Congress should work quickly to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, to ensure that all Americans are judged in the workplace based on their skills, qualifications, and the quality of their work. Right now, too many of our country’s gay and transgender workers are being judged on their sexual orientation and gender identity— factors that have no impact on how well a person performs their job.
The numbers
The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy aggregated a number of surveys to determine the extent to which gay and transgender workers experience discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Their findings illustrate that discrimination and harassment are pervasive:
■Fifteen percent to 43 percent of gay and transgender workers have experienced some form of discrimination on the job.
■Eight percent to 17 percent of gay and transgender workers report being passed over for a job or fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
■Ten percent to 28 percent received a negative performance evaluation or were passed over for a promotion because they were gay or transgender.
■Seven percent to 41 percent of gay and transgender workers were verbally or physically abused or had their workplace vandalized.
Straight coworkers also attest to the presence of discrimination and harassment against LGBT workers. The Williams Institute’s report found that 12 percent to 30 percent of straight workers witnessed discrimination in the workforce based on sexual orientation.
Controlled experiments have found consistent evidence of workplace discrimination as well. When researchers send two sets of matched resumes to major employers, and one indicates the applicant is gay, employers warmly receive “gay” resumes far less often than “straight” resumes. Seven out of eight of these studies confirmed the existence of antigay employment discrimination.
Transgender individuals encounter workplace discrimination and harassment at even higher rates than gays and lesbians. Earlier this year, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a comprehensive study on transgender discrimination that revealed near universal problems at the workplace:
■Ninety percent of transgender individuals have encountered some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job.
■Forty-seven percent of workers have experienced an adverse job outcome because they are transgender. This includes:
■Forty-four percent who were passed over for a job
■Twenty-three percent who were denied a promotion
■And 26 percent who were fired because they were transgender
The stories behind the numbers
Behind these statistics are the heartbreaking stories of everyday Americans losing their jobs based on characteristics that have nothing to do with their job performance.
Vandy Beth Glenn lost her job with the Georgia General Assembly when her boss fired her because she was transgender:
[My boss] told me I would make other people uncomfortable, just by being myself. He told me that my transition was unacceptable. And over and over, he told me it was inappropriate. Then he fired me. I was escorted back to my desk, told to clean it out, then marched out of the building…I was devastated.
Brook Waits was gainfully employed in Dallas, Texas until her manager fired her immediately after she saw a picture on Brook’s cell phone of Brook and her girlfriend kissing on New Year’s Eve:
I didn’t lose my job because I was lazy, incompetent, or unprofessional. Quite the contrary, I worked hard and did my job very well. However that was all discarded when my boss discovered I am a lesbian. In a single afternoon, I went from being a highly praised employee, to out of a job.
And officer Michael Carney was denied reinstatement as a police officer in Springfield, Massachusetts because he told his supervisors that he was gay:
I’m a good cop. But I’ve lost two and a half years of employment fighting to get that job back because I’m gay…I’m proud to be Irish-American. I’m proud to be gay, and I’m proud to be a cop in Springfield, MA.
The economic consequences of discrimination
Gay and transgender individuals suffer from socioeconomic inequalities in large part due to pervasive discrimination in the workplace. Discrimination directly causes job instability and high turnover, resulting in greater unemployment and poverty rates for gay and transgender people, as well as the wage gap between gay and straight workers.
Consider that gay men earn 10 percent to 32 percent less than similarly qualified heterosexual males. Older gay and lesbian adults experience higher poverty rates than their heterosexual counterparts. And transgender individuals are twice as likely to be unemployed and are four times as likely to live in poverty. Nearly 20 percent have been or are currently homeless.
Companies should care about these numbers if they are in the business of boosting profits. Time and again, researchers have demonstrated that discrimination diminishes productivity, job satisfaction, and the mental and physical health of all employees.
Enacting legislation that provides real protection
Gay and transgender individuals’ legal and social standing is improving despite their unfair and unequal treatment in the workplace. An increasing number of states, municipalities, and businesses have adopted nondiscrimination protections that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The public, too, has increasingly voiced support for employment protections and workplace fairness for gay and transgender workers. And more and more gay workers are coming out at the workplace, a sign that workplace climates have become more accepting or at least tolerant overall.
Nevertheless, gay and transgender people continue to lack full workplace protections afforded to women, people of color, veterans, seniors, and the disabled. Under federal law it is still legal to fire someone for being gay or transgender. Where state or local laws exist, gay and transgender workers file discrimination complaints at comparable rates and in some case higher rates than other protected classes such as gender and race. But Congress has thus far failed to incorporate gay and transgender workers into employment laws that shield these and other groups from workplace discrimination nationwide.
Lawmakers in both chambers of the 112th Congress recently introduced ENDA, which would finally bring full workplace protections to nearly all of our nation’s workforce. If passed, gay and transgender workers would have similar protections that were afforded to other minority groups with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. And while comprehensive in scope, ENDA explicitly exempts religious organizations and small businesses with less than 15 employees, prohibits preferential treatment for gay and transgender workers, and does not require employers to offer domestic partner benefits to employees’ same-sex partners.
ENDA’s premise is simple: All Americans deserve equal treatment in the workplace regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Lawmakers should swiftly enact ENDA to level the playing field for all American workers, gay or straight, transgender or not.
Gay and transgender individuals comprise a significant part of the American labor force. Every day, they go to work to make an honest living to support themselves and their families, and help our economy grow along the way. But far too many go to work with the fear that they will lose their job based on factors that have nothing to do with their job performance and ability.
Discrimination has no place in our society or in our workplaces. Our nation can and should do better for all our workers.
*In this column, the term gay is used as an umbrella term for people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
Crosby Burns is a Special Assistant and Jeff Krehely is Director of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress.
Vandy Beth Glenn, who lost her job with the Georgia General Assembly when her boss fired her because she was transgender, testifies at a hearing regarding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act on September 23, 2009. Lawmakers should swiftly enact ENDA to level the playing field for all American workers, gay or straight, transgender or not.
By Crosby Burns, Jeff Krehely | June 2, 2011
Gay and transgender individuals continue to face widespread discrimination in the workplace.* Studies show that anywhere from 15 percent to 43 percent of gay people have experienced some form of discrimination and harassment at the workplace. Moreover, a staggering 90 percent of transgender workers report some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job. These workplace abuses pose a real and immediate threat to the economic security of gay and transgender workers.
Congress should work quickly to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, to ensure that all Americans are judged in the workplace based on their skills, qualifications, and the quality of their work. Right now, too many of our country’s gay and transgender workers are being judged on their sexual orientation and gender identity— factors that have no impact on how well a person performs their job.
The numbers
The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy aggregated a number of surveys to determine the extent to which gay and transgender workers experience discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Their findings illustrate that discrimination and harassment are pervasive:
■Fifteen percent to 43 percent of gay and transgender workers have experienced some form of discrimination on the job.
■Eight percent to 17 percent of gay and transgender workers report being passed over for a job or fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
■Ten percent to 28 percent received a negative performance evaluation or were passed over for a promotion because they were gay or transgender.
■Seven percent to 41 percent of gay and transgender workers were verbally or physically abused or had their workplace vandalized.
Straight coworkers also attest to the presence of discrimination and harassment against LGBT workers. The Williams Institute’s report found that 12 percent to 30 percent of straight workers witnessed discrimination in the workforce based on sexual orientation.
Controlled experiments have found consistent evidence of workplace discrimination as well. When researchers send two sets of matched resumes to major employers, and one indicates the applicant is gay, employers warmly receive “gay” resumes far less often than “straight” resumes. Seven out of eight of these studies confirmed the existence of antigay employment discrimination.
Transgender individuals encounter workplace discrimination and harassment at even higher rates than gays and lesbians. Earlier this year, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a comprehensive study on transgender discrimination that revealed near universal problems at the workplace:
■Ninety percent of transgender individuals have encountered some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job.
■Forty-seven percent of workers have experienced an adverse job outcome because they are transgender. This includes:
■Forty-four percent who were passed over for a job
■Twenty-three percent who were denied a promotion
■And 26 percent who were fired because they were transgender
The stories behind the numbers
Behind these statistics are the heartbreaking stories of everyday Americans losing their jobs based on characteristics that have nothing to do with their job performance.
Vandy Beth Glenn lost her job with the Georgia General Assembly when her boss fired her because she was transgender:
[My boss] told me I would make other people uncomfortable, just by being myself. He told me that my transition was unacceptable. And over and over, he told me it was inappropriate. Then he fired me. I was escorted back to my desk, told to clean it out, then marched out of the building…I was devastated.
Brook Waits was gainfully employed in Dallas, Texas until her manager fired her immediately after she saw a picture on Brook’s cell phone of Brook and her girlfriend kissing on New Year’s Eve:
I didn’t lose my job because I was lazy, incompetent, or unprofessional. Quite the contrary, I worked hard and did my job very well. However that was all discarded when my boss discovered I am a lesbian. In a single afternoon, I went from being a highly praised employee, to out of a job.
And officer Michael Carney was denied reinstatement as a police officer in Springfield, Massachusetts because he told his supervisors that he was gay:
I’m a good cop. But I’ve lost two and a half years of employment fighting to get that job back because I’m gay…I’m proud to be Irish-American. I’m proud to be gay, and I’m proud to be a cop in Springfield, MA.
The economic consequences of discrimination
Gay and transgender individuals suffer from socioeconomic inequalities in large part due to pervasive discrimination in the workplace. Discrimination directly causes job instability and high turnover, resulting in greater unemployment and poverty rates for gay and transgender people, as well as the wage gap between gay and straight workers.
Consider that gay men earn 10 percent to 32 percent less than similarly qualified heterosexual males. Older gay and lesbian adults experience higher poverty rates than their heterosexual counterparts. And transgender individuals are twice as likely to be unemployed and are four times as likely to live in poverty. Nearly 20 percent have been or are currently homeless.
Companies should care about these numbers if they are in the business of boosting profits. Time and again, researchers have demonstrated that discrimination diminishes productivity, job satisfaction, and the mental and physical health of all employees.
Enacting legislation that provides real protection
Gay and transgender individuals’ legal and social standing is improving despite their unfair and unequal treatment in the workplace. An increasing number of states, municipalities, and businesses have adopted nondiscrimination protections that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The public, too, has increasingly voiced support for employment protections and workplace fairness for gay and transgender workers. And more and more gay workers are coming out at the workplace, a sign that workplace climates have become more accepting or at least tolerant overall.
Nevertheless, gay and transgender people continue to lack full workplace protections afforded to women, people of color, veterans, seniors, and the disabled. Under federal law it is still legal to fire someone for being gay or transgender. Where state or local laws exist, gay and transgender workers file discrimination complaints at comparable rates and in some case higher rates than other protected classes such as gender and race. But Congress has thus far failed to incorporate gay and transgender workers into employment laws that shield these and other groups from workplace discrimination nationwide.
Lawmakers in both chambers of the 112th Congress recently introduced ENDA, which would finally bring full workplace protections to nearly all of our nation’s workforce. If passed, gay and transgender workers would have similar protections that were afforded to other minority groups with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. And while comprehensive in scope, ENDA explicitly exempts religious organizations and small businesses with less than 15 employees, prohibits preferential treatment for gay and transgender workers, and does not require employers to offer domestic partner benefits to employees’ same-sex partners.
ENDA’s premise is simple: All Americans deserve equal treatment in the workplace regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Lawmakers should swiftly enact ENDA to level the playing field for all American workers, gay or straight, transgender or not.
Gay and transgender individuals comprise a significant part of the American labor force. Every day, they go to work to make an honest living to support themselves and their families, and help our economy grow along the way. But far too many go to work with the fear that they will lose their job based on factors that have nothing to do with their job performance and ability.
Discrimination has no place in our society or in our workplaces. Our nation can and should do better for all our workers.
*In this column, the term gay is used as an umbrella term for people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
Crosby Burns is a Special Assistant and Jeff Krehely is Director of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress.
Friday, January 21, 2011
HRC Action
Did you know that in 29 states it's legal to fire someone just because they're lesbian, gay, or bisexual? Or that in 38 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender?
That's unacceptable -- no one should be at risk of losing their livelihood because of who they are. The good news is Congress is right now considering a bill that would make that kind of discrimination illegal across the country.
The bill's sponsors are calling for our help RIGHT NOW to ensure we have enough votes to pass the bill. We're less than 20 cosponsors away from having the votes locked in.
Click the link below to tell your member of Congress to support this bill today!
http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=777
That's unacceptable -- no one should be at risk of losing their livelihood because of who they are. The good news is Congress is right now considering a bill that would make that kind of discrimination illegal across the country.
The bill's sponsors are calling for our help RIGHT NOW to ensure we have enough votes to pass the bill. We're less than 20 cosponsors away from having the votes locked in.
Click the link below to tell your member of Congress to support this bill today!
http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=777
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)