Equality Iowa

Many within the gay community have written off Obama’s comments about repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) this year. Now Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has announced that he will lay the Pentagon’s plan for repealing the unpopular policy next Tuesday, at a Senate Committee hearing.

DADT prevents military officials from directly asking servicemen or women about their sexual orientation, but does not prevent the military from discharging gay servicemen and women. The policy, which was instituted over fifteen years ago, forces those members of LGBT community who wish to serve their country, to do so in silence. It has long been criticized by the gay community, and increasingly by members of the military command as well. High ranking Pentagon officials have complained, off the record, that it is a failed policy.

Now they may have their chance to speak more publicly. The plan laid out by Secretary Gates on Tuesday will not be ambitious. Speaking on CNN he said the Pentagon will move “very, very cautiously” in implementing the repeal. However, already the language is shifting from “if” the policy is repealed to “when”.

Martin Luther King once said, “The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.” For the many patriotic gay men and women who have served our country, and for those who still do, the arc of history is finally bending their direction.

Click on this link to read a very informative report by People For the American Way on the virulent anti-GLBT politics of the far-right in our country.  This report has been around a while, but can still help us understand better those who would undermine equality and freedom.  Knowledge is power when it comes to dealing with hate politics in the public sphere.

Click here to watch video of comments by President Obama on June 29th, 2009, concerning criticisms of his administration’s slowness in pursuing LGBT rights.  Courtesy of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.  Another relevant video from The Countdown With Keith Olbermann on MSNBC!

ENDA MAIN POINTS

The Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It creates express protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people similar to those available under existing federal discrimination laws for other protected classes of workers.

Workplace protections for LGBT people are urgently needed and long overdue. The President has promised to sign this bill. All we need now is for Congress to act.

Statistics:

• 12 states and more than 100 localities have LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination protections, covering nearly 40 percent of Americans.
• According to numerous surveys, substantial majorities of likely voters in the U.S. support an inclusive federal employment non-discrimination law.
• More than 150 of Fortune 500 companies have enacted nondiscrimination policies protecting LGBT workers.

Millions of LGBT workers are unprotected. Everyday an LGBT person remains invisible on the job or suffers open harassment and discrimination based on who they are. Passing ENDA will go a long way to rectify this inequity and indignity.

Passage of this critical legislation would help ensure every employee has a level playing field in the workplace; ENDA reflects the core American values of treating people fairly and ensuring everyone gets a fair shake.

We look forward to the day when LGBT people no longer have to fear the loss of their jobs on the basis of their sexual orientation or their gender identity. When that day comes, America will have taken another step forward in assuring justice and equality for all.

For more information go to www.unitedenda.org.