6/8/14

The ENDA Schism: HRC is once again on the outside looking in

A protester begins shadowing this years HRC DC Pride contingent
Photo Oblogdeeoblogda.me
I admit it. I really didn't care that much about this years ENDA religious exemptions. I mean, its obvious the bill would never be introduced into the House with its Republican strangle hold. But its become increasing difficult to ignore,  There is something seriously wrong, and its not just this doomed legislation.


The splitting of the T from the GLB was the impetus that flung planetransgender into the blogosphere with our first crude posts in 2007.

Now once again HRC is being seen as a outsider with ulterior motives regarding the current ENDA Legislation. This time ENDA seems to be overstepping TittleVII religious exemptions making the bill worthless.

So how hard is it to fix?

It could be as it was in 2007 that HRC is a led by a testosterone driven egocentric man who would rather drive his organization over a cliff for a gay win than admit to an error?

And I will admit, I do not fully understand exactly what makes this version of ENDA's religious exemptions so erroneous. What began with GetEqual's protestations, easily dismissed as reactionary by gay.com, is blossoming into a yet another full scale HRC showdown.

So is HRC listening this time?

When the people who were carrying the signs at this years DC Pride (right) went to the front of the HRC contingent they were pushed away. After all these years there's still no place in HRC for dissent.

This years ENDA no matter how doomed will have an effect on next years legislation. So its important to note when ENDA was introduced four trusted human rights organizations, American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Transgender Law Center expressed their concern over the religious exemptions it contained in a Joint Statement.

That concern has evolved into outright condemnation as HRC continues to push this problematic bill.


Thomas Library of Congress S.815 Religious Exemptions
COMPARE THAT WITH TITLE VII religious exemptions

OK so what about HRC and why are we focusing on them?

Towleroad is reporting that while HRC is raking in millions promoting this bill they have requested an audience with the Pope to protest the firing of LGBT people from Catholic Schools, a practice that this bill would enshrine into law.

HRC is caught with its politically expedient duplicitous beeratches down. Again.


Mark Snyder, spokesperson for the Transgender Law Center, reaffirmed the concerns expressed over the religious exemption in that letter on Thursday via an email to the Washington Blade.

“We reaffirm the joint statement we issued last spring that outlined our very grave concerns with the religious exemption in ENDA that is significantly broader than the exemptions in other federal civil rights laws like Title VII,” Snyder said. “Our laws should not treat discrimination against LGBT people as a more acceptable form of discrimination.”

But Snyder went further on Thursday by unequivocally saying his organization won’t support ENDA as long as the current religious exemption remains in the legislation.

In addition Equality Illinois broke from HRC issuing a statement condemning the religious exemptions. Now that's news.

So what are these religious exemptions and how would they affect you individually? Well for starters do you work for a corporation?






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