Date: Mon, 09 Sep 1996 18:56:38 +0000 From: NGLTF Policy Institute Subject: Advisory: Final Debate on Gay Marriage and ENDA PRESS ADVISORY National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 2320 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009-2702 Contact: Robert Bray 415-552-6448 rbray@ngltf.org Helen Gonzales 202-332-6483 ext 3236 hgonzales@ngltf.org FINAL DEBATE ON GAY MARRIAGE AND JOB DISCRIMINATION BILLS IN U.S. SENATE LOBBYING BATTLE WAGES, BUT WIN OR LOSE IT'S HISTORIC MOMENT FOR GAY RIGHTS Washington, D.C., Sept. 9, 1996 The clock is ticking down on what some activists are calling the most historic debates for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the history of the U.S. Senate. Tomorrow, Sept. 10, senators will vote on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The last-minute lobbying wave is now cresting. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has sent out legislative alerts to its nationwide network of activists and members urging them to weigh in on the debate. NGLTF has also taken out a full-page advertisement in Roll Call, the "newspaper of Capitol Hill," that urges senators to vote no on DOMA and yes on ENDA. The ad states "No to Discrimination and Yes to Fairness," and "Fairness, Equality and Justice, Simple concepts with profound meaning for Americans." It ran in today's issues of Roll Call and is endorsed by 10 major national gay and other civil rights groups, including NGLTF, the Human Rights Campaign, People for the American Way, American Civil Liberties Union, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, the National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, National Advocacy Coalition on Youth and Sexual Orientation, and National Organization for Women. In addition, NGLTF has set up a toll-free hotline for people to send both their senators a telegram urging them to vote no on DOMA and yes on ENDA, and urging President Clinton to veto DOMA and sign ENDA should they arrive on his desk. The number to call is 1-800-651-1482; telegrams cost $9.95 to send three. People may also call their senators directly through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202)224-3121 or visit our homepage at http://www.ngltf.org/wuform.html. "It's important to defeat DOMA and pass ENDA. But no matter what the final outcome on these bills is, we have already made history," said Melinda Paras, executive director of NGLTF. "These debates have broken the legislative log-jam that has blocked Congress from seriously discussing our civil rights. What was unimaginable only a few years ago is happening today. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equal rights have taken center stage in America, and we can never go back to the days of silence." ###