job discrimination

[ladyinred]

Messages
1a.
Should The USA Equal Employment Rights In All States.
Posted by: "rachel williams" rachelwilliams711@hotmail.com kat_20062006
Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:06 pm (PST)
You love your job. Your supervisors give you top ratings.Then, one day, a colleague finds out you're gay. A weeklater, you find your desk emptied into a box. You're fired.The reason? Your sexual orientation. Here's the worst part: firing you for being gay was 100%legal. It's an outrage. In 31 states, you can be firedsolely because you're gay - and if you're transgender, that's 39 states.After years spent laying the groundwork, the Human RightsCampaign is poised to end this injustice by helping pass theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). This vitallegislation is likely to come up for a vote in Congress inthe coming weeks - and we need your voice.Tell your Representative to stand up for GLBT equality inthe workplace before the House votes this month!What's even more outrageous is that the radical right isfighting to keep this legislation from passing. They'reusing scare tactics to fire up their base, saying thingslike:" ENDA will force businesses with 15 or more employees toaccommodate homosexuals, drag queens, transsexuals, and evenshe-males in their employment practices and facilities." 1 It's absurd. And their campaign to enshrine hatred andbigotry in the American legal code will only intensify -they're putting major resources into blocking our progress,by flooding Congress with lies and misinformation. We need your help to make sure your lawmakers know: * Current federal law protects workers againstdiscriminati on based on their race, gender, religion,national origin, and disability - but NOT based on sexualorientation or gender identity. * ENDA is NOT about special treatment. It does not excusepoor job performance. It simply gives gay and transgenderedworker s the same rights and protections as their colleagues. * Nearly 90% of Fortune 500 companies now include sexualorientation in their non-discrimination policies. It's timethe government caught up with the private sector. Our momentum is growing in the House. And Americansoverwhelmi ngly agree that GLBT people should have equalemployment opportunities. But sometimes it only takes avocal anti-gay minority to derail legislation like this. Wemust spread the truth, today.Send a message to your Representative in support of GLBTworkers' rights.We live in a country that was founded upon the principle ofequal opportunity. Yet centuries later, that principle doesnot apply to GLBT Americans.Thank you for helping us end this hypocrisy - so thatmillions of Americans can work without fear.
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[labguy22]

Hello All,

I just called my Representative and had a wonderful experience. An actual live person answered and told me that my rep had been keeping a close eye on this bill and that she would pass on my request.
Thanks Soulforce for the email notification.

[antonyh]

The Executive Office of the President issued the following Statement of Administration Policy today about ENDA. It is really ugly, much worse than the SAR issued before the Hate Crimes Bill vote. This veto threat plus the battle of including "T" may sink this bill.

H.R. 3685 would extend existing employment-discrimination provisions of Federal law, including those in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to establish "a comprehensive Federal prohibition of employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation." The bill raises concerns on constitutional and policy grounds, and if H.R. 3685 were presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.

H.R. 3685 is inconsistent with the right to the free exercise of religion as codified by Congress in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The Act prohibits the Federal Government from substantially burdening the free exercise of religion except for compelling reasons, and then only in the least restrictive manner possible. H.R. 3685 does not meet this standard. For instance, schools that are owned by or directed toward a particular religion are exempted by the bill; but those that emphasize religious principles broadly will find their religious liberties burdened by H.R. 3685.

A second concern is H.R. 3685's authorization of Federal civil damage actions against State entities, which may violate States' immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The bill turns on imprecise and subjective terms that would make interpretation, compliance, and enforcement extremely difficult. For instance, the bill establishes liability for acting on "perceived" sexual orientation, or "association" with individuals of a particular sexual orientation. If passed, H.R. 3685 is virtually certain to encourage burdensome litigation beyond the cases that the bill is intended to reach.

Provisions of this bill purport to give Federal statutory significance to same-sex marriage rights under State law. These provisions conflict with the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman. The Administration strongly opposes any attempt to weaken this law, which is vital to defending the sanctity of marriage.
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