A Blogswarm to Demand an Employment Non-Discrimination Act

With the health care debate taking up so much oxygen in the room, it's easy to forget that our current Congressional leadership promised that we'd see a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) this year. Many of us know what ENDA is -- proposed legislation that would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. It would mean that it would be unlawful to fire someone solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

ENDA has been introduced in almost every session of Congress since 1994. Yet, 16 years later, ENDA still hasn't become law. And each day that passes without ENDA on the federal level, 30 states could legally fire someone just because they're gay. Even more, 38 states could fire someone because they're transgender. That's simply unacceptable.

Today, the Bilerico Project, Dr. Jillian Weiss, and a host of other blogs including Good As You, Pam's House Blend, Culture Kitchen, Open Left and more banding together to pressure Congress to deal with ENDA now. Not next year. Not in 2012. Not when we have 60 votes back in the Senate. Now.

All of us want pressure directed toward Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring ENDA to a vote in the U.S. House. Got a phone?  Call Rep. Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Got five more seconds? Sign this petition to her office, asking her to bring ENDA to the House floor for a vote. How many more years, and how many more sessions of Congress, have to pass before protections are put in place for the nation's LGBT workforce?

Rep. Pelosi has previously said that passing ENDA is a top priority for Congress under her leadership. But she's also given every indication that she's not going to act on ENDA unless she receives some direct pressure.

"The Speaker believes passing ENDA is a top priority and hopes that we can bring ENDA up as soon as possible. That being said, the right time to bring the measure to the floor will be when we have the votes," her office said.

By all accounts, though, it seems like there are enough votes in the U.S. House to push ENDA through. Not only that, there are upwards of 55 U.S. Senators who have said they'll vote to pass ENDA. If that's the case, then there are majorities in both chambers of Congress ready and raring to go once a bill gets dropped.

So why is Rep. Pelosi holding it up?

Fear of controversy?  Seems kind of a strange reason, since majorities of the American public support employment non-discrimination measures for LGBT folks. Fear of taking on heavy issues? Maybe, but health care is a much heavier load, and they're moving forward with that. Re-election? Ah, maybe. But again, overwhelming numbers of voters support ENDA. This isn't a politically risky vote for many folks.

It could just be that Rep. Pelosi doesn't recognize that LGBT voters are watching. But they are, and they're getting more and more frustrated each day that ENDA sits on the Congressional shelves. Demand that Rep. Pelosi move ENDA forward.

As the White House's Director of the Office of Personnel Management, John Barry, said in 2009, "If we can get ENDA enacted and signed into law, it is only a matter of time before all the rest happens."

We're ready. Is Madam Speaker?

Photo credit: U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi's office