Jeffrey Shaw of the Stonewall Democrats sends out this message chockful of important political news and information for the GLBT community. Grab a cup of coffee and read the whole thing after the jump.
Hi, Everyone: I had occasion this past weekend to address the Central Committee of the Colorado Democratic Party on behalf of our Initiative. In part, I told them that we are tired of being seen as second class citizens who are constantly having to ensure that the most basic of rights are passed into law simply because we are LGBT people. I urged them to contact their respective Colorado Representatives and Senators regarding the issues nearest and dearest to our community: SB 88, which would allow State employees in committed relationships regardless of gender or legality of marriage to extend healthcare benefits to their respective partners, and HB 1260, which would allow unmarried individuals to register with their respective counties as to who should be their beneficiaries and who should assist in making their “end-of-life” decisions. If the politicians are Democrats, all of whom appear to be on board, then they should be thanked for their support; if the politicians are Republicans, then they should be asked to come on board with these issues.
As part of this email, you will find an update regarding Federal issues specific to our community including the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill, the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, and the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The update will clearly define these issues. What we need is for all of you to contact your respective Representatives and our two Senators to request that all of them become original co-sponsors of the bills relative to our issues.
Also this past weekend, I had occasion to chat briefly with Rep Diana de Gette. I expressed our appreciation for her continued support of our issues and discussed what was currently on the table. She reminded me that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is actually the result of an executive order, so, hopefully, President Obama will negate it with the stroke of his almighty pen. Then we will need him, or Congress, to order the military to remove from its personnel policy the “exclusion of gays and lesbians” from the military. She also reminded me, as I was already aware, that last session she had been the “whip” for Rep Tammy Baldwin’s ill-fated attempt to re-introduce the inclusion of gender identity and expression into ENDA. We had an interesting discussion as to why this attempt failed, even though she and Tammy had felt that they had originally had the votes necessary to pass an inclusive ENDA.
I hope that all of you are finding effective ways to survive this incredible downturn of the American (and world) economy. Let us hope, as I am confident will happen, that President Obama and the Democratic-led Congress, will effectively and expeditiously lead us out of this quagmire. I look forward to seeing all of you at our Annual Meeting in May (details to follow)…Jeffrey Shaw, Chairman, Colorado Stonewall Democrats:
Dear Colleagues for a United ENDA:
Greetings from the Nation’s Capitol. Since our last update, many of us had an amazing opportunity to get together and talk about an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) at the Creating Change conference held last month in Denver, Colorado. We see such incredible momentum for positive change around the country and in Washington. It was wonderful to see so many friends and colleagues and to talk about our ability to make a difference. So much work is being done across the country to build towards passage of an inclusive ENDA, and that is exactly what is needed. Please take the lead in congressional districts in your state.
Positive Signals from Congressman Frank on Inclusive ENDA
In a recent interview with the Washington Blade, Congressman Barney Frank (D- Mass. 4), acknowledged the fantastic work being done to advance the work of an inclusive ENDA at the grassroots level, noting “the various coalitions” and the fact that “transgender groups are doing what wasn’t done previously, which is lobbying member by member.”
For the full article visit : http://www.washblade.com/2009/1-23/news/national/13969.cfm
The January 12, 2009 edition of The New Yorker featured a profile called “Barney’s Great Adventure,” which said “Frank is uncharacteristically hopeful about the future, including gay rights. Then it quoted Congressman Frank saying: ‘We’re going to do three things in Congress… First, a hate crimes bill-that shouldn’t be too hard. Next we move on to employment discrimination. We almost got that through before, but now we can win even if we add transgender protections, which we are going to do. And finally, after the troops get home from Iraq, gays in the military. The time has come.”
Your efforts make a huge difference on Capitol Hill. Keep up the good work!
White House Supports Fully Inclusive ENDA
What a change on Inauguration Day! When President Obama took office, the LGBT civil rights agenda that had been at change.gov was quickly uploaded to whitehouse.gov.
Right there, for the world to see, is this priority:
Combat Employment Discrimination: President Obama and Vice President Biden will work to …pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
The new President is not just on board with a plan to protect the entire LGBT community in the workplace, his Administration is leading the way. Let’s put this bill on President Obama’s desk to be signed, shall we?
Grassroots Call to Action
As we move toward the introduction of ENDA in this 111th Congress, we need to build momentum from the grassroots, as well as keep the lobbying effort strong in Washington. On every front, we must convey to Congress and the White House our community’s strong commitment to passage of a bill that covers both sexual orientation and gender identity. Please use the tools available at unitedenda.org to call and set up meetings with your U.S. representative and senators today, and take a diverse team from your district with you. We need every one of us, as organizations and as individuals, to ramp up efforts in every congressional district. Do not wait to be asked, please contact your senators and representatives today!
More Detail On Inclusive ENDA Activities At The Creating Change Conference
For those who want to know what you missed at the Creating Change conference there was a day-long institute called “It’s Time to Pass an Inclusive ENDA;” a workshop “ENDA for All,” and a United ENDA coalition organizing meeting for those able to make it. Both returning and new activists committed to passage of an inclusive ENDA had a chance to get the latest news from Washington, brush up on new skills, reestablish ties with other coalition allies, and recommit to this important work.
If we are reaching you for the first time with this update because your organization joined the United ENDA Coalition in Denver, we welcome you.
Let Us Know About Your Key Efforts
If you have information that you believe should be included in this monthly update, please send it our way. And please let us know if contacts for your organization change, so we are sending updates and alerts to those who need them.
In deep appreciation for all that are doing to ensure that an inclusive ENDA becomes law, we remain,
Yours in solidarity,
United ENDA Steering Committee Co-Chairs
Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality
