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September 18, 2009
9 weeks for equality
ENDA is moving in the House of Representatives, with a hearing coming up next Wednesday, September 23, in the Committee on Education and Labor.  After that, it is on to a vote in the House in the coming weeks or months. We're making steady progress toward passing this vital bill and we absolutely need your help to make it happen. 

This week, it is time to involve as many people as possible to make sure members of Congress hear us loud and clear about the urgency of passing ENDA.

Here's how you can help:
THIS WEEK
Send out your own call to action

This week, send out your own action alert to your friends, family and groups that you belong to. Also ask the trans, LGBT and progressive groups that you lead or are a member of to send out the text below and get as many members as they can involved in passing ENDA.  We need every single voice we can reach to be heard on Capitol Hill. Go through your address books and send a note to people telling them why this is important to you and ask them to take action.

When the committee hearing takes place in the House on Wednesday, we need congressional offices to be hearing from constituents who support the passage of ENDA and not just from those who oppose us.

Please, send an alert out this weekend and follow up on Tuesday night. A sample text is below that you can use or adapt as needed.


Here's a sample message:

URGENT MESSAGE: Tell Congress We Need ENDA Now!
 
Congress is back in session, and now is our moment to take action on ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  We must tell our federal legislators how important these protections are to our community and that we need a law that protects against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. While there are many issues that need to be addressed to bring about equality for LGBT people and to protect our rights, ENDA is the bill that is being considered in Congress right now.
 
If ENDA is to pass, we must speak up. So let's do it!
 
Contact your Representative and Senators to ask them to take swift action to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  Do it today.  They need to hear, loud and clear, that this bill is our top priority. 
 
Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121. Give the operator your postal zip code and ask to be connected to your Representative. Then, after leaving your message, hang up and call again to be connected to each of your two Senators.
 
Suggested voicemail message: My name is _____ and a proud resident of (your city/state). I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584). ENDA protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination and it is critically important. Please take swift action to pass ENDA. I can be reached at _______ (provide your phone number). Thank you.
 
Take a stand today to end employment discrimination against LGBT people! It only takes a few minutes to make the calls, but the impact of your actions will touch lives across the country and for many years to come.

It's time to pass ENDA and take a stand to end discrimination against transgender people.
 
Need more information about ENDA? Read on ...
WHAT WE'VE DONE
Here's the full list of action items from this summer of movement towards equality. Check out the links at the top of the page for items you can still take action on.
  1. Reach your members of Congress: Make an appointment TODAY to visit your Representative and Senators in August
  2. Spread the word: Sign the ENDA petition and get the word out to your friends by phone, email, twitter etc. to do the same; gather signatures at the local farmers' market, street fair, the student union etc.
  3. Educate the public: Write a letter-to-the-editor, write a blog or ask local paper to write an editorial in favor of ENDA
  4. Communicate the reasons: Write letters to your members of Congress or, better yet, host a letter-writing party and invite your friends, family, support group, etc.
  5. Gather support: Collect letters of support from local organizations, clubs, unions, churches, etc that you belong to and forward them to your members of Congress
  6. Be visible: Attend a town hall meeting or other in district gathering with your members of Congress
  7. Make the work possible: Host a fundraising party for your favorite organization working on ENDA, either in person or virtually, such as donating to a Facebook cause.
  8. Build relationships: Follow up on your contacts with members of Congress to build relationships
  9. Get others involved: Send out an action alert to your friends and groups you are a part of

About NCTE

The National Center for Transgender Equality is a national social justice organization devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues of importance to transgender people. By empowering transgender people and our allies to educate and influence policymakers and others, NCTE facilitates a strong and clear voice for transgender equality in our nation's capital and around the country. The National Center for Transgender Equality is a 501(c)3 organization.