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From Mara Keisling

(October 3, 2007)

Wow. What a week. It's been so crazy and so urgent, we simply have not had time to write enough about what is going on. Now that there are dozens of people working fulltime and thousands engaged in a lot of different ways on getting a transgender-inclusive ENDA passed, we are going to try to take a few minutes every evening for the next two weeks to explain what's going on. Tonight it is my turn.

Only five years ago it would have been inconceivable to see what we are seeing today. Over 150 organizations have now signed on and are active participants in the United ENDA campaign. That's 150 LGBT organizations standing together with transgender people to say that we want H.R. 2015 passed with protections based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. We have helped create a campaign called United ENDA which we are helping to coordinate. We are providing each of these organizations with ways that they can get involved in trying to pass ENDA the way we all want it.

We have been given a few more weeks to shore up the votes we need to pass the ENDA bill that will protect all LGBT people. In order to do that, we are pulling out all the stops. At NCTE, we are working 16+ hours per day. In addition to the 150 organizations who are mobilizing their memberships, about 15-25 organizations with Washington, DC lobbyists met today to pitch in and get the job done, and over 2,500 people have signed our petition.


And NCTE is right in the middle of all of that. We are meeting with members of Congress, helping to coordinate the 150+ (and growing) coalition, doing media interviews, and still trying to carry on with our normal business.

A little while ago this evening, we sent an action alert that outlines some things you can do to get involved. We hope you do. We have a few weeks to prove that members of Congress are willing to pass a bill that will protect transgender people and all LGBT people from job discrimination. We could really really use your help

.~Mara

 

 

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