ENDA...Is It Time To Turn Up The Heat?

Employment non-discrimination is getting some much needed coverage this week...albeit for all the wrong reasons. President Obama is coming under fire for refusing to issue an executive order banning anyone contracting with the Federal Government from discriminating against any of their employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. To be honest, while the reports call it a "blow for advocates", I don't think anyone is surprised. If anyone feels echoes of the DADT repeal or the President's "evolution" on marriage equality that's because the same tactics and verbage are again being put in play. While this executive order would only affect the employees of government contractors, it would at least be a step in the right direction to a larger national law. Instead, the administration is claiming to put their efforts into a national ENDA policy by building a "coalition" of bipartisan support. In a recent White House response to the President's decision, Press Secretary Jay Carney articulated the Administrations viewpoint:

The President is dedicated to securing equal rights for all LGBT Americans.  And that is why he has long supported an inclusive employment non-discrimination act which would prohibit employers across the country from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.  The President is committed to lasting and comprehensive non-discrimination protections, and we plan to pursue a number of strategies to attain that goal.  Our hope is these efforts will result in the passage of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which is a legislative solution to LGBT employment discrimination.

And I would make the comparison here that pursuing that strategy, the passage of ENDA, is very similar to the approach the President took for the legislative repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Does all this sound familiar to you too? With the repeal of DADT, the President had it within his power to issue and executive order and instead, opted to build a similar bipartisan coalition and came under all the same criticism. But there's a problem with the Administrations version of events surrounding the repeal of DADT that may be key to understanding our role in helping pass ENDA and ensuring workplace protections for all LGBT Americans....and that is the role of outside pressure.

HRC Wants To Put Our Trans Brothers and Sisters "Back To Work"

Times are tough for everybody right now. I don't think I know a single person that hasn't been negatively effected by the economy, to the point were there really is no such thing as a disposable income anymore. Work has become a precious commodity these days and very hard to find. We have had many gay friends lose jobs to the poor economy only to struggle for months to find new work...some are still looking months after they have been let go. There's no doubt that times are tough..and they don't care if you are gay. straight, bisexual, or transgendered.

However....having had my eyes opened to transgendered struggles over the last two years, I know how hard it can be for Trans people to navigate many of the things we take for granted, without suffering massive amounts of fear, ignorance, and discrimination....and job hunting has got to be tough even in a good economy. So...it was with great surprise that I read on Pam's House Blend  that HRC is launching a program to give job training and job finding assistance to transgendered people....What? The same HRC that has suffered so much criticism for being completely ineffective yes men?...yup, the very same...

JoJo Did It!

It's a sad fact of life that discrimination in the workplace still exists in this world in very flagrant ways. It's still happens to women. It still happens because of skin color. And.. as our friend Joseph experienced....on the basis of sexuality. I think alot of us may wonder what we would do if we were put in a situation where our bosses are openly hostile to us. When you need to work...especially is this economy...the thought of having to battle your employer is a tragedy by itself. It's also an endictment on how far was have actually come in the struggle for basic protections for gays and lesbian,s who in many states don't have laws to shield them from discrimination on the basis of sexuality.