Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Bipartisan campaign mobilizing for ENDA passage in House
From Americans for Workplace Opportunity
2014-03-15

This article shared 2568 times since Sat Mar 15, 2014
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Washington — Americans for Workplace Opportunity, the bipartisan campaign to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ) in the U.S. House of Representatives, is kicking off a national field and advocacy effort to build bipartisan support and momentum for the bill. The campaign played a central role in the historic, bipartisan passage of ENDA through the U.S. Senate last year. The bill, which would protect gay and transgender Americans from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, enjoys support from Republicans and Democrats alike in both houses of Congress, as well as support from nearly 70 percent of Americans — including 56 percent of Republicans.

Americans for Workplace Opportunity will spend more than $2 million in bipartisan funding on the effort to pass ENDA, and is on the ground in 30 key congressional districts in 21 states across the country. These states include Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for most Americans means the opportunity to work hard at a decent job and earn a living. These are fundamental Americans values and they are why a supermajority of Americans from all backgrounds supports ENDA," said campaign spokesperson Deborah Pryce, who championed ENDA while a member of the U.S. House of Representatives until 2009. "Republicans and Democrats joined together in the Senate last fall to pass ENDA because they knew it was the right thing to do. We hope the House will act on this bill, and we look forward to continuing to engage with Americans across the country and across the aisle so they can speak out and send a clear message to their Representatives about the importance of ENDA."

Americans for Workplace Opportunity is led by a diverse and bipartisan Steering Committee composed of organizations that collectively represent millions of Americans. Steering Committee members include: the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Unity Fund, Communications Workers of America, the Human Rights Campaign, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Log Cabin Republicans, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and the Service Employees International Union.

A national survey conducted for the campaign last fall by Republican pollster Alex Lundry found that a shockingly high number of Americans — 8 in 10 — mistakenly believe federal workplace protections for gay and transgender Americans already exist. Lundry's survey found that nearly 70 percent of Americans — including 56 percent of Republicans — back workplace protections. His survey also projected support for ENDA to be above 50 percent in every single state.

ENDA was introduced in the House last year by Reps. Jared Polis ( D-CO ) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ( R-FL ). Republican co-sponsors to date include Reps. Charlie Dent ( R-PA ), Chris Gibson ( R-NY ), Michael Grimm ( R-NY ), Richard Hanna ( R-NY ) and Jon Runyan ( R-NJ ).

ENDA passed the Senate by a historic 64-32 vote last November. Ten Republican Senators were among those voting for final passage: Sens. Kelly Ayotte ( R-NH ), Susan Collins ( R-ME ), Jeff Flake ( R-AZ ), Orrin Hatch ( R-UT ), Dean Heller ( R-NV ), Mark Kirk ( R-IL ), John McCain ( R-AZ ), Lisa Murkowski ( R-AK ), Rob Portman ( R-OH ) and Patrick Toomey ( R-PA ). Prior to its passage in the Senate, ENDA was approved by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in July 2013, by a bipartisan vote of 15-7.

Many of the nation's leading businesses back ENDA as well. More than 100 major businesses participate in the Human Rights Campaign's Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness, including: Alcoa, Caesars Entertainment, Charles Schwab, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Ernst & Young, General Mills, Groupon, Hershey, MillerCoors Brewing, Nationwide, Time Warner, US Airways and Wells Fargo. Additionally, 91 percent of Fortune 500 companies have sexual orientation non-discrimination policies, while 61 percent of Fortune 500s have gender identity non-discrimination policies.

Americans for Workplace Opportunity ( www.workplaceopportunity.org ) is the campaign to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act through Congress. It is led by a diverse, bipartisan steering committee representing millions of Americans who support ENDA. Those organizations include the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Unity Fund, Communications Workers of America, the Human Rights Campaign, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Log Cabin Republicans, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and the Service Employees International Union.


This article shared 2568 times since Sat Mar 15, 2014
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals 2024-03-15
- It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

One Roof Chicago launches youth-focused workforce development program 2024-03-14
- One Roof Chicago (ORC) is set to launch its first training, education and job placement program for LGBTQ+ young adults in late spring. This Community Health Workers and Elder Care program is a part of ORC's ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

Pride 365 event emphasizes year-round support for LGBTQ+ employees 2024-03-07
- Queer employees are queer all year-round. The need for employers to accordingly support and uplift them year-round was the core message at Howard Brown Health and Citywide Pride's Pride 365 "Out of Office to Out in ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Illinois' first openly gay congressman isn't done yet: A conversation with Eric Sorensen 2024-02-23
- A Rockford-born meteorologist, U.S. Rep. Eric Sorenson didn't plan on being a politician. But after seeing how his work in broadcasting impacted his viewers in both the Rockford and the Quad Cities areas, he wanted to ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12
- Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health President and CEO to depart following ten years of service 2024-02-08
--From a press release - Following 10 years of dedicated leadership, David Ernesto Munar has decided to step down as President and CEO of Howard Brown Health. His last day will be on February 29, 2024. "The board celebrates David's work ...


Gay News

Activists, pols promise readiness for upcoming challenges at Equality Illinois gala 2024-02-05
- Over 1,350 attendees joined with the advocacy organization Equality Illinois for its 2023 gala the evening of Feb. 3, both to celebrate another year and raise funds to continue its work into the future. Over 100 ...


Gay News

ART Queer photographer James Hosking focuses the lens on his own work 2023-12-18
- James Hosking—a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ artist who specializes in photography and collage—is one of 17 people selected to be part of "Once: 2023 Emerging Artists Exhibit" at the Cleve Carney Museum on the College of DuPage campus ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Social Security, NBJC grants, Discord's policy, Sam Altman, Ohio deaths 2023-12-14
- A nonbinary former employee of the U.S. Social Security Administration, identified as "J. Doe," filed suit against the agency, claiming workplace misgendering forced them to resign, Philadelphia Gay News reported. Doe claims that constant misgendering at ...


Gay News

Wrightwood 659 to present 'Daniel Goldstein: The Marks We Leave Behind' on World AIDS Day 2023-11-29
- (CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2023) —Alphawood Exhibitions will present Daniel Goldstein: The Marks We Leave Behind, an exhibition of works from the San Francisco-based artist & HIV/AIDS activist's iconic "Icarian Series," ...


Gay News

Pope Francis's community of transwomen 2023-11-28
- It's a rare opportunity to meet the pope. It's even rarer if you're a transgender Catholic. However, on Nov. 19, in Torvaianica, Italy, a community of transwomen, many of them sex workers, were welcomed and seated ...


Gay News

Berlin Nightclub closes after nearly 40 years, following boycott 2023-11-21
Decades of Photo Archives below - After nearly forty years, Berlin Nightclub, 954 W. Belmont Ave., officially closed its doors Nov. 19 following a months-long fight between its owners and unionized workers. Owners Jim Schuman and Jo Webster officially announced Berlin Nightclub's ...


Gay News

YEPP 'rises' to occasion at fall fundraiser 2023-11-20
- Members and guests of Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP) gathered Nov. 17 at Chicago Theater Works, 1113 W. Belmont Ave., for the organization's fall fundraiser, Rise Up: Our Celebration of Resistance. The evening marked both the ...


Gay News

Chicagoans gather to mark the 2023 Trans Day of Remembrance 2023-11-20
- Brave Space Alliance, Chicago Therapy Collective and Life is Work joined forces to celebrate Trans Day of Remembrance under the banner New Era Together Nov. 19 at Venue West, 221 N. Paulina St., on the West ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.