ENDA Employement Non Discrimination Act
I would like to know why Barry Frank feels the need to split the GBLT community ? Doesn't he know the quickest way to distroy any force is to divide it. He has sold out to please New speaker of the house so she will have this great human rights victory to announce at the HRC gaila since she is the key note speaker. The gay commuinty has stepped on the backs of the trans community once again to improve thier standing in society. I feel like if the timing isn't right to pass an ALL INCLUSIVE ENDA bill that we should way until after the 2008 election when we will surely have a Democrat pres. We should stand together or fall together.
Sincerely
Sweetbrandigirl2004
ENDA - non-incluisive of gender
First of all, it's Barney Frank, as in blarney.
Without protection for gender identity, ENDA is meaningless, because gay and lesbian people are read because their presentation is counter to societal gender norms.
Regards transgender people, I know of no other interest group in this country that is, at once, as highly skilled, and as widely unemployed or severely underemployed due to prejudice. Over 70% of transpeople have lost jobs or are not employed, and most of the remainder are working far beneath their skill sets. The percentage of that among gays and lesbians is much lower, not that they don't deserve employment protections as well.
Frank speaks of "more education being needed" - yet he refuses to provide the transgender community's activists with a list of Representatives who are struggling with the question, nor did he give transgender activists a chance to do the education - he just withdrew the bill and filed his separate ones. I believe he meant to do it that way all along. That is a very Republican and chickenbleep way to do business.
Do not support the separate ENDAs. Vote them down, and the voters of Frank's district need to send him home in next years primary, and elect a real Democrat who stands up for the rights of those who need them worst.
ENDA as it stands is the end of our unity
Thanks for your comments polarbear. All people of conscience need to recognize this divide and conquer tactic for what it is. Isolating the most discriminated sector of our community will not move this civil rights struggle forward. I am so proud to see the thousands of lesbian, gay and bisexual who have stood up in the last week to oppose this devisive tactic. Now it is time for all progressives to add their voices to the call for justice and let the Speaker of the House know that the issue of discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation must be stopped.
Please join Pride At Work, AFL-CIO in demanding that the separate ENDA bills not be heard at all and the original, inclusive bill be heard. "An Injury to One Is An Injury to All."
Why are we fighting for the liberation of Iraq...
when transgender people in the United States do not even have the right to contest their summary dismissal from employment in 2/3 of our country?
Why should we continue to pay taxes to a government that regards us as not necessary for the health of the national economy?
i for one would like to hear a democrat answer these questions.
ENDA
IF YOU SPINLELESS COWARDS ...THAT CALL YOURSELVES MEN...CANNOT AND WILL NOT SUPPORT THE E.N.D.A. BILL AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY DRAFTED - TO INCLUDE L.G.B.T.'S...... AS A WHOLE THEN ...WE HAVE BUTT ONE CHOICE LEFT AND THAT TO VOTE EVERY MAN & WOMAN IN COBNGRESS ..WHO HAS JUMPED SHIP ON THIS ISSUE ...INCLUDING THE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OUT OF OFFICE .... COME THE NEXT CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION..........................WE THE IN TRANSGENDERED COMMUNITY ......... ARE ASKING FOR IS EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK ..... MOST EMPLOYERS FEEL THEY CAN PAY US MUCH LESS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT THE SAME AS THEY ARE !! Respectfully submitted,
Patricia E. Gallagher
To the ENDA bunch...
The 5 of you arrived on this site within a very short time. You have contributed to no other thread other than this one.
Do you make a regular habit of ganging up, together, on sites you haven't visited before? Do you enjoy the nazi-like tactics you employ?
It is wonderful that you have a cause. It is not so nice that you are only interested in one thing.
A couple of you are Dems. One is an independent and one is a green. Interesting that coincidence places you here at the same time.
Have you taken the time to read the site rules? No? I thought not. Well, your manners are atrocious.
There is a lot here on this site. You might take a few minutes and read through the blogs and comments. Then you might, as individuals, join the fight against the misadministration that we all suffer under.
http://www.democrats.com/rules
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.
Hey grinch...
Yep, we have rules. But so do those who exploit GBLT for their own financial profit...the rule is: "exploit 'em"...
I'm down for their economic and rights equity - it's really human rights issues...yeah, they may be driveby's, but who hasn't enjoyed a little let alone heart & soul?
They're legal, they're citizens, ... I'm listening to hear if they contribute more...:)
Or if it was just a drive-by...
Chip, I tend to treat Brownshirts of any persuasion...
the same. It would have been a bit better to enter the site and give us a brief history of what the problem is. It would have been nice and mannerly to wait for an answer and then respond more fully to it.
I know that they were up against some time constraints. This effort was mentioned by Karel, an openly gay talkshow host on KGO San Francisco fairly recently.
I don't remember using the term 'drive-by' but it doesn't matter. Had these people been a bit more low key and reasonable, they wouldn't have been asked to clean up their crap on the carpet here.
Most of the long-term members here are against discrimination of any kind that appears in any form. The main perspective I personally got from the first 5 posts was the pattern of ME, ME, ME> Talented? Superachievers? Unemployed? Hmmm, seems to me there is a huge number of Americans right now that fit this criteria. This group would do well to consider the way in which they attempt to get their own program across to others.
We have an administration who doesn't listen to us. We have a congress who doesn't listen to us. We have Nancy Pelosi, Reid, and Hoyer who don't listen to any of us. Perhaps that is why this group came here to scream at us.
These hit hard and run kind of attacks do little for their cause.
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.
ENDA
Dear Folks:
As the post I made 2 days ago was the first time I had logged onto Democrats.com, I find it difficult to respond to the accusation that I am "driving by."
At the same time, I will take issue with what could appear to be the assumption that addressing LGBT issues is tangental to the push for a progressive agenda within this country.
The reality is that the Employment Non-Ddisrimination Act (ENDA) as changed was to be marked up this week and voted on by the House at week end (according to Rep. Barnet Frank). So time was of the essence. And yes, this issue is of paramount importance to me and many others in this country. And yes, we have VERY STRONG FEELINGS about it.
For those who may not be following this issue as closely as some of us--Speaker Polosi has said that the ENDA bill mark up will be postponed for two weeks to give us (all of us) time to garner more support in the House for the fully inclusive bill. So, this is a victory for grass-roots organizing. Now, anyone who is interested in this civil rights and economic issue can call your House Reps. and encourage them support the original bill HR 2015 which includes gender identity.
I for one am not a single-issue voter or political organizer. However, even if I were, woud that mean my opinion is less valued than another? Would that mean progressive people should not reach out to me so that I can be informed on the interconnection of all of these issues? Just an idea to chew on.
Thanks,
A life-long social and economic justice organizer
Jojo, thanks for the much more expressive post on 10-2...
makes your situation much more understandable.
Just one more problem that will take time and effort to solve.
However, that said, would you consider this cause to be as important as the 2000 target strike on Iran? The withdrawal of troops from Iraq? The bankruptcy of our Treasury? The massive death tolls in Iraq, Afghanistan, and those coming in Iran?
Good luck reaching your representitives and senators--we havent had much.
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.