Urge Congress To Protect Rights Of LGBT Employees

Petitions, Politics — By Rachel Milani on January 19, 2012 5:02 am

Target: U.S. Senate

Goal: To make it illegal for employers to fire and/or refuse to hire a person based on sexual orientation.

Let’s get the U.S. Senate to finally pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (“ENDA”) so that employees who identify as part of the LGBT (‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered’) community are safer in their jobs. It is still legal in 29 states to fire employees based on their gender identification and sexual orientation. It is hard to believe that in our modern world there are states in which one still risks their right to earn a livelihood if such simple and irrelevant personal facts as these are revealed in the workplace. Especially now, with such high rates of unemployment in the U.S. and economic hardships worldwide, it is callous to deny a qualified individual the right to work based on such an unfair method of discrimination. ENDA will make it illegal for an employer to fire and/or refuse to hire and promote any person on the basis of sexual orientation in non-religious companies with more than 15 employees. As well, ENDA will protect anyone who reports such practices.

The line between ‘straight’ and ‘gay’ is becoming more blurred with each step of progress into the future and we need our governmental policies to reflect the attitude of these changing times. According to an article on breakingthenewsbarrier.com, ENDA will especially ‘…protect transgender people, whom gay-rights’ advocates say often face the worst discrimination.’ The issues of homosexuality and non-traditional gender self-identification have come so far in the past decade and it is our responsibility as citizens to continue this progress. Let’s urge the Senate to finally pass ENDA and bring the rights they deserve to the LGBT community.

PETITION LETTER

Dear U.S. Senate,

It is time to finally pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). This act will make it illegal for an employer to fire, refuse to hire,  or refuse to promote a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. It also protects anyone who reports the violation of the act. This is a simple matter of civil rights and eliminating outdated beliefs from the workplace. Every American citizen has not only the right but also the responsibility to work hard and earn a living.

For too long, qualified Americans have been denied their right to work based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identification. It is unfair and callous of any employer to fire or refuse to hire anyone based on these reasons. One’s ‘queer’ sexual identity is as irrelevant in the workplace as the identity of a ‘straight’ employee. If a person is qualified and committed to a job, it is their right to be allowed to keep it.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]