From: Date: Mon, 01 Aug 94 11:35:26 -0400 Eastern ***************************************************************** PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND The Nation's Largest Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Political Group ***************************************************************** To contact the HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND, please call us at (202)628-4160, fax us at (202) 347-5323 or write to us at PO Box 1396 Washington, DC 20013. WE CANNOT RESOPND TO E-MAIL. ***************************************************************** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Douglas Hattaway 202-628-4160 office FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1994 202-265-5573 home SENATE HOLDS HISTORIC HEARING ON LEGISLATION TO PROTECT AMERICANS FROM JOB DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION Meeting on Employment Non-Discrimination Act Marks First Senate Hearing Ever on Equal Rights for Gays and Lesbians WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Senate hearing today on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) marks the first Senate hearing ever held on legislation that would extend any form of civil rights protections to lesbian and gay Americans. The Labor and Human Resources Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), heard the stories of two people who suffered job discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, as well as testimony from business and labor leaders in support of the bill. ENDA would ban job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which is currently not prohibited under federal law. "This historic hearing marks an important milestone on the road to equal employment rights for all Americans," said Tim McFeeley, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF). "Some of the most important civil rights laws passed in this half century began with hearings before this very committee, which today discussed the problem of job discrimination against lesbian and gay Americans. Congress is giving serious consideration to this bill, and the gay community must do its part to show our elected representatives that this issue is of vital importance." The Campaign Fund arranged the appearance of two key witnesses in today's hearing: Cheryl Summerville of Atlanta, who was fired from her job at a Cracker Barrel restaurant, and Ernest Dillon of Detroit, who was harassed and beaten at work. To educate lawmakers about the problem of anti-gay job discrimination, the Campaign Fund's "Documenting Discrimination" project also provided the committee with job discrimination cases from around the country. "I worked hard at my job, and my reward was getting fired for no good reason," Summerville told the committee. "The right to hold a job shouldn't be based on whether someone is black or white, male or female, gay or straight. It should be based on ability and dedication. I hope that you will take action to ensure that people like me -- a fellow American -- can have the same rights as everybody else." Dillon filed an Equal Employment Opportunity claim after he was continually harassed and eventually attacked at work. A federal court dismissed his claim, stating that the discrimination Dillon experienced was not prohibited by federal civil rights laws. "I turned to my union, my supervisors, my doctor and the court, only to find that, in America, I am not entitled to work without fearing for my life," Dillon told the committee. "I want what every other American wants -- the ability to work, to be treated fairly, to be judged by who I am, and to be free from discrimination and harassment. I look to Congress for leadership in stopping the pain and prejudice, and in passing a federal law to protect me." The Campaign Fund also recruited Warren Phillips, former chief executive officer of Dow Jones & Co., to testify in favor of the bill. Other supporting witnesses included Stephen Holter, executive vice president of Pacific Telesis; Richard Womack of the AFL-CIO; and Chai Feldblum, a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center. "It has been the law of the land that employment discrimination is unacceptable based on race, gender, religion, ethnic origin or other non-performance-related considerations," Phillips testified. "It is time to include sexual orientation. It is the right thing to do. It is the sensible thing to do. It is also the business-like thing to do." The legislation has 30 co-sponsors in the Senate and 120 in the House of Representatives. It is being championed by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation's leading civil rights coalition representing more than 185 women's, labor, religious, disability and civil rights organizations. The Leadership Conference has been the driving force behind every major piece of civil rights legislation passed in the past half century. "We are poised to take a major step forward in securing equal rights in the workplace for lesbian and gay Americans," said Daniel Zingale, the Campaign Fund's public policy director. "We have unprecedented bipartisan support in Congress, as well as the active participation of the American civil rights movement. Our job now is to educate the general public about the need for this legislation and continue to build support in the House and Senate." Readers can contact their Members of Congress by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or writing: The Honorable__________________ The Honorable______________ U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20510 For the names of local Senators and Representatives, call the Human Rights Campaign Fund's Membership Services Department at 202- 628-4160. As the largest national lesbian and gay equal rights organization, the Campaign Fund also offers two programs to help people participate in the legislative process -- the Federal Advocacy Network (FAN) and Speak Out. FAN mobilizes grassroots support with timely information for contacting federal officials about legislative issues. Speak Out sends strategically timed and targeted messages to federal officials on behalf of people enrolled in the program. - 30 - 1101 14th Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 phone:(202)628-4160 fax:(202) 347-5323