PASS ENDA NOW

Campus Pride Statement to U.S. Members of Congress

I write on behalf of the thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college students, faculty and staff who are members of Campus Pride, a national nonprofit organization working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. We strongly support the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) (H.R. 3017/S. 1584), which would prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We urge your support to ensure that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act becomes law in the near future. Specifically, we urge you to co-sponsor this measure, vote for it, and oppose any efforts to weaken it.

A clear and unambiguous federal law is needed to fully address the continuing problem of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. While some states and localities have laws in place to prohibit this type of discrimination, the patchwork of laws in this country remains inadequate. Discrimination is a very real problem that affects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, leaving them and their families economically vulnerable. For all of these reasons, passage of ENDA remains a top priority for the LGBT community.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was recently introduced in the Senate by Senator Jeff Merkley (OR-D) joined by Senators Susan Collins (ME-R) and Edward M. Kennedy (MA-D) and is a companion bill to H.R. 3017. The introduction of this bill marks an important day for supporters of fairness and equality. Workplace protections for LGBT people are urgently needed and long overdue. We have waited far too long for a meaningful chance to see protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity enacted into federal law.

ENDA would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It creates express protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people similar to those available under existing federal discrimination laws for other protected classes of workers. The bill enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, and President Obama has made clear that passing an inclusive ENDA is one of the priorities of his civil rights agenda.

Currently, twelve states, the District of Columbia, and more than 100 localities have non-discrimination protections that protect all LGBT workers, covering nearly 40 percent of Americans. Additionally, more than 150 Fortune 500 companies have enacted non-discrimination policies protecting LGBT workers. These advancements are a testament to the heroic efforts of local advocates and visionary corporate leaders. These gains are also evidence of the overwhelming public support for employment protections for LGBT workers. Anti-discrimination measures have helped to protect workers in many places, but millions more remain unprotected. LGBT people continue to remain invisible on the job and many suffer open harassment and discrimination simply because of who they are. Passing ENDA will go a long way to rectify this inequity and indignity.