Joie de Vivre

We need your help in lobbying for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009 (ENDA) — a bill that protects everyone, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans, from losing their jobs just because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity/gender expression.

(Yes, it’s perfectly in 29 states for someone to fire you for your sexual orientation and in 38 states for your gender identity or expression — and yes that includes straight people too. Appellate courts have ruled it’s legal to fire a woman for not wearing make-up at work.)

We are coming into the second week of August, and support for ENDA among legislators is slowly inching up. Here’s the status as of today.

In the House, where we need 218 yes votes, there are 172 confirmed yes, and another 35 who will probably vote yes, though they have not yet confirmed this, making a total of 207 likely yes votes. Not enough. 76 Representatives are unconfirmed either way, and these need to be persuaded by you. Here’s a spreadsheet with the latest updates about where people stand.

In the Senate, where we need 60 yes votes because of the likely Republic filibuster that requires 60 votes to stop, there are 47 confirmed yes votes, and another 11 likely yes votes, making a total of 57 likely yes votes. Not enough. 52 Senators are unconfirmed either way, and these need to be persuaded by you. This spreadsheet shows who’s wavering.

What you can do:
The key fight is going to be in the Senate. Please take whatever time you can to call the Senate swing votes, which you can find here.

• Sign up to meet with your legislator in your district in August. You will need your Representative’s name, which you can find at http://votesmart.org.
• Call your Senators and Representative to request their support of an inclusive ENDA that protects sexual orientation and gender identity from job discrimination. Contact your legislators by giving your zip code to the U.S. Capitol operator at 202-224-3121.
• Contact other unconfirmed Senators and Representatives by email, telephone or fax. Contact links for the Senate and for the House.

Useful Links:

• NCTE’s toolkit for talking to legislators (PDF).
• PFLAG has a tidy letter to send to your legislators — although I’d suggest updating it to point out that ENDA protects all Americans.
• Inclusive ENDA Facebook group, which has updates on how things are going.

This is important folks. PLEASE DO THIS.

Join the Great Nationwide Kiss-In is scheduled for Aug. 15 at 11 a.m. Pacific time (2 p.m., Eastern). Events are planned for at least 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada. If you’re in the San Francisco area, meet at Union Square. We’ll have 10 drag queens doing songs about kissing and a portable birthday boy kissing booth.

Why a kiss-in?

After incidents in San Antonio, TX, El Paso, TX and Salt Lake City, UT – where different gay and lesbian couples were harassed or detained by law enforcement or other people for the simple act of kissing in a public place – we need to make a strong statement to everyone everywhere: kissing is not a bad thing, nor has it ever been. It’s not vulgar or inappropriate. It’s a sign of affection that is as old as time itself. And it’s a beautiful thing that we share with our loved ones every single day.

Not gay, but like kissing? Perfect. Straight allies, never fear! Come support your commitment to equality and public displays of affection, and smile at your neighbor to let them know its 2009 and that you’re happy we’re able to live our lives.

More info and locations at http://www.GreatNationwideKissIn.com