Civil rights groups send letter to congress supporting ENDA
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PageOneQ
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and six other signatories have put their support behind HR 3685 in a letter to House representatives. The signatories urge support for what it believes can be accomplished for gay and lesbian workers this week, which is to vote on ENDA without the Baldwin Amendment to add gender identity, and look toward workplace protection for the entire LGBT community as it becomes politically possible to do so.
"With each significant step toward progress," the letter says, "the civil rights community has also faced difficult and sometimes even agonizing tradeoffs. We have always recognized, however, that each legislative breakthrough has paved the way for additional progress in the future. With respect to ENDA, we take the same view."
"This is the first essential step in a long struggle for LGBT equality," says Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solomonese. Solomonese, while expressing disappointment that this legislation is to move forward without protection based on gender identity, pledged to continue to dedicate resources of the organization to "working toward a law that includes all LGBT Americans."
The signatories in addition to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Human Rights Campaign are: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Education Association, National Employment Lawyers Association, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; and the American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees.
Wade Henderson, President and CEO of the Conference told PageOneQ that his organization supports the bill because "civil rights have always come in incremental steps."
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