Labor Day And ENDA

From Human Rights Campaign:

Labor Day weekend is here. Traditionally, it has marked the last opportunity to take a road trip, enjoy the beach or spend a lazy weekday behind the barbeque. By Tuesday, the tourists will have left D.C. for the season (and the parking spaces will have returned). We'll all shake our heads and wonder how it went by so quickly, and then do our best to make three quiet days off last.




This weekend doesn't only mark the end of summer; it commemorates the contributions of our labor movement, which brought American workers workplace improvements ranging from safety equipment to weekends. For our community, Labor Day can be a reminder that we have made significant progress. Twelve states and DC, along with over 125 cities and counties across the nation, have inclusive non-discrimination laws. Over half of the Fortune 500 provide equal family benefits and increasing numbers of employers have adopted inclusive non-discrimination policies.



Even with these achievements, our community is still denied equal workplace opportunity. It is still legal in 38 states to fire someone because of his or her gender identity; LGBT people are still underemployed relative to our peers (transgender people significantly so) and less likely to be insured. And we are not alone in our fight for fair workplaces; last week we stood with our allies, Rev. Sharpton and the National Action Network at the "Reclaim the Dream" rally here in Washington to add our voice in support of jobs and justice for all Americans. This Labor Day, there is no more fitting commitment we can make than to make a push to pass an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act.



The good news is that there's still time to connect with your member of Congress. Not every part of summer will end on Monday. Congress's summer district work period will continue for another week. That means that even though classes have begun and your great aunt has put her white clothes in storage, it's still a great time to reach out to your member of Congress and arrange a personal meeting with them or their staff. Through Countdown 2010, LGBT people and our allies have been getting in front of the decision makers to get the message across: it's time to pass ENDA. At the Countdown 2010 site, you can find all you need to reach out by phone or email or to make that in-district visit that puts a face on the issue for your member of Congress and his or her staff.



These visits make an impact. Some legislators claim that they don't need to be engaged on LGBT issues because there are no LGBT people in their district (yes, they really do). We simply have to make it impossible for any member of Congress not to see that we are their constituents and that they are accountable to us. You can read about in-district visits in North Carolina congressional offices here and here, and I hope that you’ll go straight to Countdown 2010 afterwards