Idea for Change in America: Pass a Trans-Inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

by Michael Jones · 2008-12-07 15:21:00 UTC
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CapitolThe third and final idea over at change.org's "Ideas for Change in America" that we'll highlight today is Sara P's idea to pass a trans-inclusive version of the employment non-discrimination act (ENDA).  In November 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a version of ENDA that did not include transgender individuals under its definition. Though the bill was championed by Rep. Barney Frank, the Human Rights Campaign, and others, many LGBT rights activists were dismayed with the bill, arguing that it was selling out transgender individuals.

As a matter of fact, the version of ENDA that passed the U.S. House is a sell out. And with a new Congress and a new Presidential administration, we deserve better. We deserve a version of ENDA that not only protects sexual orientation from discrimination, but also gender identity and perceived gender identity.

What is ENDA? ENDA is federal legislation that would ban employment discrimination based on an individual's sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill protects workers from discriminatory hiring, firing, promotion or compensation practices, as well as retaliation for reporting such practices. A version of ENDA was first introduced in the 1970s, but yet thirty years later there's still no federal protections to guard against discrimination in the workplace toward LGBT Americans.

So let's vote up this issue, and work with the Obama administration and the 111th Congress to not only pass ENDA, but to pass ENDA as a trans-inclusive bill. Let's not forget the "T" in LGBT this time.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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