ENDA Introduced, thank co-sponsor Vermont Congressman Peter Welch!

We are so happy to report that a trans inclusive Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) bill has been introduced in Washington by Rep. Barney Frank. In Vermont we are lucky to have a supporter of our community in Congressman Peter Welch, who is also a sponsor of this important bill. It never hurts to say thank you! Contact Congressman Welch at (888) 605-7270 or www.welch.house.gov.

The Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It creates express protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people similar to those available under existing federal discrimination laws for other protected classes of workers.

Workplace protections for LGBT people are urgently needed and long overdue. The President has promised to sign this bill. All we need now is for Congress to act.

Millions of LGBT workers are unprotected. Everyday an LGBT person remains invisible on the job or suffers open harassment and discrimination based on who they are. Passing ENDA will go a long way to rectify this inequity and indignity.

Passage of this critical legislation would help ensure every employee has a level playing field in the workplace; ENDA reflects the core American values of treating people fairly and ensuring everyone gets a fair shake.

We look forward to the day when LGBT people no longer have to fear the loss of their jobs on the basis of their sexual orientation or their gender identity. When that day comes, America will have taken another step forward in assuring justice and equality for all.

STATISTICS

* 12 states (including Vermont!) and more than 100 localities have LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination protections, covering nearly 40 percent of Americans.
* According to numerous surveys, substantial majorities of likely voters in the U.S. support an inclusive federal employment non-discrimination law.
* More than 150 of Fortune 500 companies have enacted nondiscrimination policies protecting LGBT workers.