Lance Toma, Executive Director, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
Dr. Jillian T. Weiss, Associate Professor of Law and Society, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Lisa Rae Dummer, Board Chair, Transgender Law Center
M. Barusch, Co-coordinator, Harvard Trans Task Force
Rosalyne Blumenstein, ACSW/LMSW, World Professional Association for Transgender Health
Helen Boyd, author
Jacob Anderson-Minshall, Trans-Nation columnist
Kathy Padilla, Co-President OutFront!, and member, Philadelphia Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Board
Andy Marra, Board Co-Chair, National Center for Transgender Equality
Karen Doering, Senior Counsel, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Randi A. Barnabee, Board of Directors for TransFamily of Cleveland
Maya Gomez
Deborah A. Smith, Board of Directors for TransFamily of Cleveland
Jacob B. Nash, Board of Directors for The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland and TransFamily of Cleveland
Janson Wu, Staff Attorney, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Monica Helms, President of the Transgender American Veterans Association
Martin Rawlings-Fein, former Board Member of Female-to-Male international and Lou Sullivan Society Organizer
Ethan St. Pierre, Board, Families United Against Hate
Denise E. Brogan-Kator, Managing Attorney, Rainbow Law Center
Mary Kator, Rainbow Law Center
Debra Oppenheimer Rochester, NY LGBT task force chair, ochester Chapter of NOW / Associate Director of the greater Rochester of NYTRO (New York Transgender Rights Organization)
Lore M. Dickey, Grand Forks, ND
Leslie A. Farber, Montclair New Jersey
Jody Marksamer, Staff Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Shelbi Day, Staff Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Vanessa Eisemann, Staff Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Marti Abernathey, Founder – Transadvocate.com
Richard M. Juang, Member, Committee on Transgender Inclusion, Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association
Diana Langton, Fairpoint, New York
Anderson Toone
Valerie Spencer
Spencer Bergstedt, Transgender Law & Policy Institute
Linda Gephart, West Palm Beach, Florida
Barbara Ann Coombs, Miami, Florida
Barbra Casbar Siperstein, NJ Stonewall Democrats – President; National Stonewall Democrats -Chair, DNC Relations Committee
Susan Stryker, Ph.D. Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Chair of Women’s Studies, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver (San Francisco, CA Resident)
Karen L. Loewy, Staff Attorney, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Amity P. Buxton, Founder, Straight Spouse Network
Alexandria Schneider, Langhorne, Pennsylvania
Patricia Kevena Fili, Executive Director, Lighthouse Community Center
Tobias Packer, Equality Florida, Miami, FL
Donna Cartwright, Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
Toni Broaddus, Executive Director, Equality Federation
Rachel Goldberg, Chairperson, Board of Directors for Gender Public Advocacy
Coalition
Rabbi Levi Alter, President FTM International
Rebecca Allison, MD Phoenix, Arizona
Robert Haaland, Commissioner, Board of Appeals
Kelly Armstrong, Louisville Fairness
Kim Pearson, Executive Director, TransYouth Family Advocates; Vice President, PFLAG-Transgender Network
Bruce Parker, Director of Curriculum Development, TransYouth Family Advocates
Ray Bernstein, Santa Clara University School of Law faculty
Joanna Harper
Rebecca Aine, Board Member, Tiffany Club of New England
Cindy Hines, Milwaukie, OR
Sean-Michael, Phoenix, AZ
Natalie Blackburn, Committee Chair, Students Advocating Gender Awareness; University of Georgia Lambda Alliance Member; University of Georgia LGBT Student Group
JoAnne Keatley, San Francisoc, CA
Julie McGillivray, Villa Park, IL 60181
Vanessa Edwards Foster, Chair, Texas Gender Advocacy & Information Network (TGAIN) Board & Media Director, National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC)
Angela Brightfeather Sheedy, National VP – Transgender American Veterans Association State Director – North Carolina – It’s Time America
Rita Petite, President Crossdressers International Incorporated
Gretchen Lindell – Chicago, IL
Jennifer A. Lewer, Equality Ohio
Barbra Olson
Andrew and BEAR Rodgers, founders of Knox Boyz of East Tennessee (an FTM
advocacy group), and Tennessee Transgender Political Committee
Gunner Scott, Co-Chair Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
Kelly Novak, M.S., member WPATH (formerly, HBIGDA) and a founding
member, NCTE
Vivian M. Benge, President of the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy
Alliance (INTRAA)
Stephen A. Glassman, Chairperson Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
Jamison Green, Transgender Law & Policy Institute
Ben Lunine, Staff Attorney, Transgender Law Center
__________________________
NEWS RELEASE October 2, 2007
Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors Vote to Reaffirm 2004 Policy on ENDA
Supports ENDA Legislation Protecting the Entire GLBT Community
WASHINGTON – Last night, the Human Rights Campaign’s Board of Directors voted to reaffirm the 2004 policy supporting a fully inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Therefore, HRC will not support the newly introduced sexual orientation only bill. The board’s position articulates a process for continued dialogue with House leaders about strategies that have been put forth to, in the end, achieve passage of a fully inclusive ENDA.
‘We are now faced with definitive Congressional action to move forward a version of the bill stripping gender identity. Though we support a fully inclusive ENDA, we acknowledge the legislative strategy put forth by Congressman Frank and the Democratic leadership to obtain a clear path towards an inclusive bill in the future,’ said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. ‘We look forward to working with them to accomplish the goal all of us share – ending workplace discrimination against the entire GLBT community.’
‘Since 2004, HRC has had in place a policy that supports only a fully inclusive version of ENDA and the Board of Directors voted to reaffirm that position,’ Solmonese continued. ‘Therefore, we are not able to support, nor will we encourage Members of Congress to vote against, the newly introduced sexual orientation only bill. And will continue working with our allies in Congress to support a comprehensive, legislative strategy to achieve passage of a fully inclusive ENDA as quickly as possible.’
The Human Rights Campaign has been and continues to be on the front lines actively and exhaustively advocating for an inclusive piece of legislation that protects all members of our community. HRC has led the charge on Capitol Hill for an inclusive bill and has focused grassroots organizing in 40 congressional districts across the country targeting moderate Members of Congress to educate them on the need for a bill protecting the entire GLBT community.
‘For more than a decade HRC has been aggressively working to secure employment protections for the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Even in the dark days of anti-gay leadership in Congress, we moved Corporate America forward because we refused to accept that progress wasn’t possible. And today, we again reject the notion that progress isn’t possible by rededicating our efforts to specifically educate members of Congress on the need for gender identity protections in the workplace,’ said Solmonese.
‘Some may say we should have joined the growing chorus of public dissenters earlier. We believed, and still do, that the correct course of action was to continue dialogue with our allies on the Hill and work to the last minute to effect change,’ said Solmonese. ‘That decision, in addition to yesterday’s letter signed by GLBT and civil rights organizations, paid off when we were able to engage in direct conversations that resulted in a guarantee from House leadership to postpone the mark-up until later this month.’
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.