Date: Mon, 22 Jul 96 18:30:01 EST From: "Phil Attey" Subject: URGENT ACTION: SENATE TO VOTE ON ENDA/DOMA ANYDAY ________________________________________________________ URGENT ACTION ALERT from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: communications@hrcusa.org WWW: http://www.hrcusa.org ________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 1996 IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TO PASS BILL PROTECTING AMERICANS FROM JOB DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION Urge Your Senators to Support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act As an Amendment to the Defense of Marriage Act This is a critical moment in the drive to end job discrimination based on sexual orientation, so everyone who cares about fairness should contact their U.S. senators immediately. Urge your senators to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA, S. 932) as an amendment to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, S.1740), and tell them to oppose DOMA itself. DOMA, the anti-marriage bill, is rocketing through Congress, and a Senate vote is fast approaching -- so right now is the time to make your voice heard. Background Since the House passed the anti-gay marriage bill July 12, the Senate is our only hope for something positive to come out of this election-year spectacle. The bad news is that DOMA is virtually certain to pass the Senate. The good news is that it can at least deliver some basic fairness in the workplace if we each do our part to have the Senate pass the ENDA amendment to it. The so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" would allow states to ignore gay marriages performed in other states, and would create an unprecedented federal definition of marriage to exclude gay unions from all federal benefits should any state decide to legalize same-sex marriage. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would protect Americans from job discrimination based on sexual orientation. President Clinton endorsed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act last October. With your help, the ENDA amendment has a decent chance of succeeding in the Senate. ENDA has 30 Senate co-sponsors, including two Republicans. ENDA also enjoys the support of major corporations such as Eastman Kodak, Quaker Oats and Bethlehem Steel, and Republican Govs. William Weld of Massachusetts and Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey. Gay marriage is not legal in any of the 50 states. However, it is legal in 41 states to be fired from your job simply because you are gay. Congress should focus on the real problem of job discrimination against gay people that affects Americans right now. A Hawaii court case that has sparked the same-sex marriage debate is not expected to be decided for approximately two years. Act Now Contact your U.S. senators immediately and urge them to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S. 932) as an amendment to the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" (S. 1740), and also express your opposition to DOMA itself. Use the sample letter below as a guide for what to say. Refer to each bill by its appropriate number. Write, call, fax, and e-mail your senators. You can also contact them through the Human Rights Campaign's World Wide Web site at http://www.hrcusa.org. Finally, you may want to schedule a meeting with your senators' staff at one of their local offices in your own state -- call the Human Rights Campaign's field team at (202) 628-4160 to find out how. To call your senators, you can dial the Capitol switchboard, even if you aren't sure who they are. Just ask the switchboard operator and you will be connected. Ask for their fax numbers and e-mail addresses as well: Call: U.S. Capitol (202) 224-3121 Write: The Honorable __________ U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 _________________________________________________________________ Sample Letter to Your Senators Dear Senator _________: I urge you to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), S. 932, as an amendment to S. 1740, the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA). DOMA is nothing more than gratuitous election-year gay-bashing, and is most likely unconstitutional. Should S.1740 reach the floor of the Senate, ENDA will be offered as an amendment to DOMA. I strongly urge you to support the ENDA amendment and oppose DOMA. Even proponents of DOMA claim not to be in favor of discrimination -- so just about anyone can easily support the ENDA amendment. ENDA would protect Americans from job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Though it is not legal for gay people to marry anywhere in the United States, in 41 states it is still legal to fire good workers just for being gay. Until ENDA passes, there is no federal law to protect Americans from this pervasive unfairness. ENDA is a very reasonable bill. It would prohibit job discrimination, quotas and other forms of preferential treatment in the workplace based on sexual orientation. It would not apply to religious organizations, small businesses or the military, and it would not require domestic partner benefits. Americans overwhelmingly believe that lesbian and gay people should not lose their livelihoods to discrimination. According to the latest Newsweek poll, 84 percent of Americans support equal rights for gays in terms of job opportunities. Furthermore, a recent poll by the Mellman Group found that there is no clear consensus among Americans on DOMA, and that 73 percent feel that other issues are much more important. I oppose DOMA because I believe that marriage is a basic human right. The decision of whom to marry is a deeply personal one that should not be interfered with by the federal government. Despite the rhetoric of the religious political extremists, one can honor the relationship between a man and woman without attacking lesbian and gay people or their relationships. Again, since gay marriage is not legal anywhere in the land, but anti-gay job discrimination is widespread and legal just about everywhere, I urge you to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act as an amendment to the Defense of Marriage Act, and oppose DOMA itself. I look forward to hearing your views on this matter. Sincerely, _________________________________________________________________ Ask all of your friends to help out, too. For more information on how you can help, please contact the Human Rights Campaign at (202) 628-4160 and ask to speak with the field team. - 30 -