According to information published by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, here are 5 reasons to.....
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er 2 Novemb
, 2010
Safe Schools - Some LGBT youth, going to school is tantamount to a daily dose of torture. In fact, for some queer students, the horror of their school day — the bullying and harassment — ends in tragedy. According to GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey, nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students said they had been harassed in the past year. Over 60% of LGBT students said they felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. Over the past two weeks alone, a number of young people have taken their lives because of harassment based on their perceived sexual orientation. Pending federal legislation could help LGBT youth and so many — too many — others: ▬▬ The Safe Schools Improvement Act would strengthen the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act to include programs to fight back against bullying and harassment. ▬▬ The Student Non-Discrimination Act would end discrimination based not only on actual or perceived sexual orientation but also discrimination based on gender identity in public schools. Gender identity is just as important; kids are just as afraid of boys in dresses as their parents are of men in dresses. Unity can create real change – Our community can make a difference when we stand together in defense of this nation’s values … because conservatives don’t have the monopoly on the values issue. As part of the progressive community, we know that equality and justice are this nation’s true values. A unified LGBT community can work to: ▬▬ Ensure the passage of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill introduced to amend title 10, United States Code, by replacing the current policy concerning disclosing one’s homosexuality in the Armed Forces, referred to as “Don’t ask, don’t tell”, with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. ▬▬ Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law which defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman and does not require states to accept as marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state. Employment Non-discrimination is an LGBT issue - It is hard to believe that in 2010 there is no federal law explicitly barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. You can be fired for being gay, lesbian, or bisexual in 29 states and in 38 states it is legal to fire people on the basis of gender identity. LGBT workers shouldn’t lose their jobs because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, or fear reprisals for coming out at work. America’s workplaces shouldn’t be like this and they don’t have to be like this. It’s time to stop squandering the talents and skills that LGBT people bring to the workplace and contribute to our economy. ▬▬ The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) - a proposed bill in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity for civilian nonreligious employers with over 15 employees. Fair Housing - In the LGBT community, we face added insecurity because there are no legislative federal fair housing protections for marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. No one should be evicted, be kept from living where they want to live or pay more rent simply because of who they are. And no one should have to lie about who they are in order to have safe housing. Everyone – including LGBT people – should have equal access to safe housing. Ending housing discrimination is an issue that deserves attention in the next Congress. Redistricting - You may think of redistricting as a confusing process that does not affect you, but the truth is redistricting is critical in shaping policies that directly affect LGBT people. Conducted once every 10 years, redistricting – the process of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries to reflect population changes – is critical in determining the makeup of our country’s governing bodies. And the degree of support and opposition to LGBT-related legislation will be determined by the redrawing of district lines. Redistricting is the single most important factor in determining whether a Republican or a Democrat is likely to be elected in a particular district. Because the redistricting process is often controlled by the state legislatures, it is important to make your voice heard in elections up and down the ticket. Local and state elections matter! Delta Phi Upsilon Fraternity®, Inc., is a non-partisan 501(c)(7) organization and does not endorse or advocate for any political party or candidate. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation, works to build the grassroots political power of the LGBT community to win complete equality through direct and grassroots lobbying to defeat anti-LGBT ballot initiatives and legislation and pass pro-LGBT legislation and other measures. www.thetaskforce.org.
Target III: Political Empowerment