{"id":6950,"date":"2009-11-05T12:34:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-05T17:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/press-release-32\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T11:07:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:07:27","slug":"press-release-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/press-release-32\/","title":{"rendered":"Merkley se une a las v\u00edctimas de discriminaci\u00f3n laboral para apoyar la legislaci\u00f3n que brinda protecci\u00f3n a los empleados LGBT"},"content":{"rendered":"


Washington,
\ncorriente continua-<\/strong> Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined several victims of employment
\ndiscrimination today in support of bipartisan legislation to provide basic
\nprotections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
\nand gender identity.  The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA),
\nintroduced by Senator Merkley and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), would protect
\nqualified, hardworking Americans from being fired, denied job opportunities, or
\notherwise discriminated against just because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or
\ntransgender.<\/p>\n

\n

“There
\nis simply no place in the workplace for discrimination,” said Senator
\nMerkley.  “It is our duty to ensure that all Americans, regardless of
\nsexual orientation or gender identity, have the right to earn a living, and I
\nam proud to join Diane, Mike, and Earline here today to highlight that job
\ndiscrimination is still very much alive in America.  By passing the
\nEmployment Non-Discrimination Act, we can guarantee that the fundamental
\nprinciples of equal justice and equal opportunity apply not to some, but to all
\namericanos\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

"I
\nsupport strengthening federal laws to protect American workers from
\ndiscrimination.  Similar to the current law in several states, including
\nMaine, and the policies of many Fortune 500 company, the Employment
\nNon-Discrimination Act would close an important gap in federal civil rights
\nlaws,” said Senator Collins.
<\/span><\/p>\n

Joining Senator Merkley today to share their experiences
\nwith workplace discrimination were Diane
\nSchroer, a transgender woman and 25-year veteran of the U.S Army Special Forces
\nfrom Illinois; Mike Carney, a gay police officer from Massachusetts; and
\nEarline Budd, a transgender woman from Washington D.C. who suffered from
\ndiscrimination in the workplace and has since become an outspoken advocate for
\ntransgender rights.<\/p>\n

After retiring from the military, Diane interviewed for a
\nposition as a terrorism research analyst with the Library of Congress and was offered the job.  At the time, Diane was
\nidentifying publicly as David and had recently begun the process of
\ntransitioning from male to female.  After informing her future supervisor
\nabout the transition, Diane’s job offer was rescinded and she was told that she
\nwould not be a good fit.<\/p>\n

“As
\nsomeone who served this country for 25 years in the U.S. Army, I have always
\nbelieved that the promise of America is that everyone will be judged on the
\nbasis of their merit and character.  Unfortunately, when I disclosed to a
\nfuture employer that I am a transgender American, I found out the hard way that
\nthis promise doesn’t yet extend to everyone,” Schroer said.  “I’m here
\ntoday supporting ENDA because I don’t want anyone else to experience the pain
\nand frustration I went through when I was denied a job based not on my skills
\nbut because of who I am. Discrimination against gay and transgender people
\nstill exists in this country and it’s our responsibility to end it.”<\/p>\n

During his first seven years serving as a police officer in
\nSpringfield, Massachusetts, Mike Carney suffered serious mental anguish caused
\nby the personal and societal pressures of being a closeted gay man in a law
\nenforcement community that wasn’t accepting of who he was.  He suffered
\nhumiliation and pain, eventually resigning from the job he loved. <\/p>\n

In 1991, Mike co-founded the Gay Officers Action
\nLeague of New England, a support group for gay law enforcement officers. 
\nAfter meeting hundreds of fellow gay officers and receiving the support he
\nneeded, Mike applied for reinstatement to his position in 1991.  This
\ntime, he disclosed that he was gay.  He was denied. Two and a half years
\nafter filing the first complaint of orientation discrimination ever against a
\nlaw enforcement agency in Massachusetts, Mike won his case with the
\nMassachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and returned to work as a
\nSpringfield police officer, where he continues to serve today.<\/p>\n

"El
\nfact that I’m gay doesn’t affect my job performance, but it continues to affect
\nmy employability in America,” Carney said.  “I love my job as a cop. 
\nIf I hadn’t lived in Massachusetts, or in one of the 12 other states and
\nDistrict of Columbia that protect GLBT people from discrimination, I wouldn’t
\nhave been able to get it back.  I’m proud to be here today to support ENDA
\nand the fight to eliminate sexual orientation and gender identity as a barrier
\nto equal employment.”<\/p>\n

A
\nnative of Washington D.C., Earline Budd had a job in the early 1980’s that she
\nhad gotten based on the merit of her experience.  After being identified
\nas transgendered in a newspaper article, she faced discrimination from her
\nsuperiors at work that forced her to leave the organization.  Earline’s
\nexperience with discrimination has caused her great personal hardship. 
\nShe has since become an outspoken advocate for transgender rights and engages
\nwith transgender individuals for whom discrimination is a daily occurrence,
\nimpeding their ability to find work and participate in society.<\/p>\n

"I
\nhave witnessed first-hand the devastating effects workplace discrimination can
\nhave,” Budd said.  “No one should have to face the hardship that comes
\nwith losing a job for no reason other than someone else not liking who you
\nare.  The fact that ENDA includes protections for those discriminated
\nagainst based on their gender identity is a huge step forward in achieving
\ntruly equal rights for transgender Americans.”<\/p>\n

There is currently no federal law that consistently
\nprotects LGBT individuals from employment discrimination.  In fact, it
\nremains legal in 29 states to discriminate based on sexual orientation,
\nand in 38 states to do so based on gender identity or expression. <\/p>\n

ENDA is closely modeled on existing civil rights laws,
\nincluding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with
\nDisabilities Act.  It explicitly prohibits preferential treatment and
\nquotas and does not permit disparate impact suits.  In addition, the bill
\nexempts small businesses with fewer than 15 employees, religious organizations
\nand the military, and does not require that domestic partner benefits be
\nprovided to the same-sex partners of employees.<\/p>\n

El
\nEmployment Non-Discrimination Act has been endorsed by national civil rights
\norganizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, the Leadership Conference on
\nCivil Rights, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the ACLU, labor
\norganizations and more than 60 Fortune 500 companies.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined several victims of employment discrimination today in support of bipartisan legislation to provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.  The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), introduced by Senator Merkley and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), would protect qualified, hardworking Americans from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMerkley Joins Victims of Employment Discrimination to Support Legislation Providing Protection for LGBT Employees - Merkley<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/press-release-32\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merkley Joins Victims of Employment Discrimination to Support Legislation Providing Protection for LGBT Employees - 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