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Task Force, Inc., responds to decision to postpone hearing on substitute ENDA aimed at stripping transgender protections

“In this defining and morally transformative moment, our community has come together in an unprecedented way and said once and for all that we will leave no part of it behind.” — Matt Foreman, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Inc.
 
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 — Scheduled House committee action on a version of employment nondiscrimination legislation without protections for transgender people has been postponed. A statement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Miller, Reps. Frank and Baldwin said this would “allow proponents of the legislation to continue their discussions with Members in the interest of passing the broadest possible bill.”

Statement by Matt Foreman, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Inc.

“The announced postponement of the scheduled House mark-up on the transgender-stripped Employment Non-Discrimination Act takes us in a positive direction. In this defining and morally transformative moment, our community has come together in an unprecedented way and said once and for all that we will leave no part of it behind. We appreciate that a decision has been made to slow down this process, and we look forward to working with Congress over the upcoming weeks to educate members as to why this substitute bill strategy is seriously flawed, convince them to abandon this strategy, and instead advance a fully inclusive ENDA later this month.

“Our movement resolves to go forward together in our quest for equality under the law and we can be proud of our accomplishment to stop – for now – action on an unsatisfactory bill. Over 100 national and state organizations and thousands of community members at the grassroots level have already come together to let Congress know they oppose the sexual-orientation-only substitute bill.

“Our community must continue to weigh in with every member of Congress, letting them know of our insistence that a fully inclusive ENDA must pass the House this year. This effort is all the more important with the leadership’s statement that leaves open which version of ENDA will advance. Just as we have for the last few days, we must signal loud and clear to every member of Congress: We are one community and we demand protections for all of us. Nothing else will suffice.”

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