Empire State 'GENDA CALL IN DAY' Pride Agenda

Wednesday May 20 is the Statewide GENDA Call-In Day - It’s Time to Act!
You are receiving this e-mail because the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) has been passed by the Assembly and has enough support to be passed by the Senate. The time is NOW to take action and make our final push to get the Senate to vote to end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers.
We need you to get on the phone and call the lead Senate sponsor Tom Duane and your Senator to tell them that you want them to bring GENDA to the Senate floor and pass it. We’re in the final stretch and it is vital that they hear from you.

You can reach Senator Tom Duane at (518) 455-2451 and you can find your State Senator’s Albany phone number here.

GENDA would amend the state's human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression, providing crucial civil rights protections for transgender New Yorkers by banning discrimination in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life.

With more than half of the Senators indicating their support for GENDA, we know that we have enough votes to get it passed in the Senate if it comes to the floor for a vote. So now is the time to call Senator Duane and your State Senator!

Talking Points:

Reach Tom Duane at (518) 455-2451 and find your Senator’s Albany phone number here. Call their offices on Wednesday to tell them that the time is now to end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers.

Remember to give them the number of the GENDA bill (S.2406).

Ask your Senator to vote for GENDA, and ask lead Senate Sponsor Tom Duane to bring the bill to the floor for a vote now.

Tell them about the broad support for GENDA statewide, including:
78% of New York voters
Unions representing 2.1 million working New Yorkers
27 Fortune 500 companies based in cities like Rochester , Corning , New York City and White Plains .
344 clergy and lay leaders, representing over 20 different denominations
Working together, we can make this happen! Start making those phone calls now!

Michigan Votes on Hate Crimes Bills May 20, 2009

Help Pass Michigan Hate Crimes Legislation!

Yesterday, we received word from our colleagues at the Triangle Foundation that the Michigan House Judiciary Committee passed the hate crime bills, HB 4835 and HB 4836 last week. This was thanks in no small part to organizations and individuals in Michigan that sent in letters of support on very short notice.

The bills were then referred to the House floor with a recommendation for a YES vote. We anticipate that the full House will vote on the bills TOMORROW, May 20th.

To learn more about Michigan�s Hate Crimes Legislation, click here.

Unfortunately, the committee passed the bills along straight partisan lines. While a straight party line vote in the full House will guarantee us a victory there as well, there is no reason that the bills should be partisan. It is likely this change of heart (NO Committee member opposed, and more than 50% of the Republicans in the House voted for identical language six months ago), was in large part the result of a national email campaign by our opposition who is committed to excluding �sexual orientation� from the legislation.

This is an issue of public safety. We hope that the Committee vote is not a signal that Republicans as a whole can be swayed by such a campaign, and that this effort will remain broadly bi-partisan when presented for a House vote tomorrow.

Now is the time we need you to take action. First, contact your State Representative and urge them to support the Michigan hate crimes legislation, HB 4835 and HB 4836. Then share this information as widely as possible. We must not let the hate-filled emails and phone calls legislators received go unanswered.

When contacting your Representatives, make sure to tell them that you support HB 4835 and HB 4836 and hope that they will support it as well. You might also add that you see this as a public safety issue that should not be permitted to fall prey to partisan bickering and one-upmanship. The important thing is that they hear from you!

Click here to contact your Representatives. There is no reason you can�t contact other Representatives. Many current Representatives have plans to seek higher office, particularly in the Senate, so contacting every Representative from your County (or the State), can be almost as important to them as if you were already a constituent.

Thanks for your support, together we can make this happen!

National Center For Lesbian Rights