A Message from Alaskans Together
In Alaska, firing a person because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity is still legal. This is also true in 60% of the United States where gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens are not protected against employment discrimination. Congress is getting ready to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would offer protection from discrimination for LGBT citizens, and action on our part is required. If we want the discriminatory status quo to change, it is our responsibility to speak up and ask our Congressman Don Young and our Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski to vote in support of fairness and basic protections from job discrimination for LGBT Americans.
Neither Representative Young nor Senator Murkowski have made public their support for ENDA. We can help by writing letters to the editors of our local newspapers on the importance of passing this legislation. We can also spread the word among our friends and family to take action in support of this legislation. Most importantly and easy to do - we can email and call all three members of our Congressional delegation. This will only take about 5-10 minutes – isn't ending discrimination worth that?
Call and email Congressman Young, Senator Murkowski, and Senator Begich today.
Contact Congressman Don Young
at 202-225-5765 and via e-mail.
Contact Senator Murkowski
at 202-224-6665 and via e-mail.
Contact Senator Begich
at 202-224-3004 and via e-mail.
Here is a suggested phone message:
"My name is____________ and I am a proud resident of (your city, Alaska). I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017 and S. 1584), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. Please take swift action to pass ENDA. I can be reached at ________ (provide your phone number). Thank you."
Sample email message to our Congressional delegation (please personalize):
"Subject: Support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584)
Honorable Congressman/Senator______________:
Today, employers in many states including Alaska can still legally fire people because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. These hardworking Americans deserve the same protection as their coworkers, and Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would go a long way to making this a reality.
Please support an inclusive ENDA - the bill that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans from losing their jobs simply because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
LGBT Americans deserve and need the ability to work -- just like every American. Please help by supporting ENDA (H.R. 3017 and S. 1584) and bringing the bill to a vote in the House and Senate soon.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Insert Name,
address and phone number]"
We must speak up loudly and clearly! The opponents are flooding Congressional offices with calls and emails – we all need to call in and speak up against discrimination. Our elected officials need to hear that this bill (ENDA) is a top priority of fair-minded Alaskans.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed because the LGBT community and our many allies spoke up so loudly and clearly – that they even heard us in Washington DC.
We have a real opportunity for positive change!
Change will come, if enough of us act. The more of us who call, the faster full equality for LGBT citizens will arrive!
After you call and write your email, please forward this message or tell your friends and family what is at stake and ask them to contact their Congressional delegation too.
Are you a member of Alaskans Together for Equality yet? You can help by joining our organization and supporting our important advocacy work for LGBT equality across Alaska by becoming a member today.
10 comments:
Hoonah Alaska Police Chief John Millan made these disrespectful remarks in the policelink website about President Obama
"This is the kind of "community activist" Presidency we can expect for the next 3+ years. High taxes, gun control, gay agenda, retreat and defeat abroad and cop-bashing. Well news flash sports fans, this is the same ACLU lefty who refused to apologize for porta-potties on the police memorial, so what do we expect? Any sworn LEO who voted for this man, all I can say is SHAME.
http://policelink.monster.com/topics/63414-should-obama-have-criticized-the-cambridge-police-department-without-knowing-all-of-the-facts/posts?page=7
I want to ask the Chief, What is wrong with a gay agenda?
And what's wrong with the ACLU? I'm not surprised by his opinions, but he's out of line posting those remarks as the chief of the Hoonah PD. Thanks for the tip, Gay In Alaska. I'll check it out and post what I find.
I went to the link Gay in Alaska posted. The disrespectful comments made by Chief Millan about our president blew me away. He calls th president an ACLU Lefty and questions his gay agenda. He also says that any sworn law enforcement officer who voted for Obama should be ashamed.
Well Chief I am gay, and I am a police officer and military veteran. I also voted for Mr. Obama. I am highly insulted and offended by your remarks
I don't know exactly who that stuff was posted by, but millen was always an advocate for all persons being able to serve as police officers and I do know one of his friends was openly gay and she did fine. He helped the GLTG student cause some years ago. Someone posted that his identity was hacked last year during a divorce and he changed his logon b/c of it. I know none of that stuff surfaced again after fall of 09. He was always nice to everyone in our village when he was chief there. Just because something is placed on the www doesn't mean it comes from the person it says. He was apparently concerned enough about it to change his logon.
Someone hacked my account!!!! For months they posted hateful things in my name without my knowledge!!!!
OK dude whatever you say.
Insulting the President is disrespectful, but it is also a right protected by the first amendment.
You are right. This police chief may post whatever he wants about the president of the United States. No matter how disrespectful. You go Chief. Let that hate speech fly.
Those comments was posted as he was cheif of Galena Ak PD, not Hoonah. He changed his logon apparently in fall after this smeer campane started. Bad thing is these smeer sites can run for months or years and no one knows they are being atacked unless someone goes and tells them.......Shame how people can make a smear campane on anyone and not have courige to leave a name or verify facts as a "BLOG"..
ok let me get this straight. The police chief has been a member of police link for years. But while going through a divorce someone hacked his police link account and posted hateful messages on his account for months without his Knowledge? And he never posted any messages to dispute the fake ones? I call BS...Just my opinion
Hacked policelink account....Ha ha ha, Yeah right. I live in Galena Bro,
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