LGBT leaders, community members demand vote on ENDA

Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey speaks at today's ENDA press conference, where
LGBT rights advocates and community members call on Congress to pass ENDA.

Right now people can be fired in 29 states for being lesbian, gay or bisexual and in 38 states for being transgender. There’s no excuse for this kind of backwards discrimination in this day and age.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, PFLAG National, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Black Justice Coalition, National Stonewall Democrats, National Center for Lesbian Rights and Pride at Work today held a press conference at the National Press Club urging Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Community members — Donna P., Terrance L. and Gloria Nieto — came forward to share powerful stories of the discrimination they have experienced in the work place for simply being who they are.

Help us ensure that this discrimination becomes a thing of the past. Help us pass ENDA once and for all! Please make a short phone call now to your legislators to keep the pressure on. They need to hear loud and clear from people who support equality. Even if you’ve called before, and even if you think your representative is supportive of ENDA, it’s critical that they hear from you again today.

Just follow these three steps:

1) Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask to speak to your representative. (If you’re not sure who your representative is, simply give the operator your zip code and they will connect you.)

2) Follow this script:

My name is _____ and I live at (say your street address) in (say your city and state). I am calling to ask that you please pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act now! Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people can't wait any longer for protection from job discrimination. So, please — no more delays. Pass ENDA right away. Thank you for your time.

3) Go back to step 1 and call at least one of your senators — we need to make our voice for equality as loud as possible.

Thank you for taking action with the Task Force today!

To read Rea Carey's remarks, go here.
For photos and more from today's press conference, visit ENDAnow.com.