House vote NEXT WEEK on ENDA!
Excerpt from a newsletter I received today from the Human Rights Campaign follows. My comments are in italics:
Our opponents are grasping at straws. They're handing out "fact sheets" on Capitol Hill with titles like "ENDA Protects Mental Disorders and Seeks to Silence People of Faith."
Their absurd argument? Being GLBT is a mental disorder.
But don't forget that the right wing holds major sway in Washington; that's why there's still not a single Federal law protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from discrimination.
(this statement is a little bit of a factual stretch in my opinion; i think that it is not only the "right wing" but also the perceptions of much of the public)
That could all change very soon. The House will likely vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as early as NEXT MONDAY. Your support has been tremendous - nearly $30,000 in donations poured in on the day of the ENDA hearings. But to push this campaign through to victory, we need to more than double that. So we're aiming to raise another $45,000 by the end of the week.
Help us reach our goal of $75,000 to bolster our efforts before the vote next week.
(we need to double the "tremendous [support]" yet, "we're in a position to win")
As of today, we're in position to win this critical legislation. Key lawmakers have pledged their support. You have done so much already, and we are truly appreciative. Now, we need your help to step up our efforts over the coming week - because the radical right is stepping up theirs. Here's what we'll be doing:
(ah... "because the radical right is stepping up theirs." It bothers me that words like this (radical right) must be used, yet it is only the more minimal sort of marketing eh?")
* Meeting with members of Congress. We're making sure the votes we're counting on stay strong, and helping sway the few members who are still on the fence.
* Running ads in key outlets. Targeted online ads - the most effective kind for a short timeframe like this - are helping spread awareness and pressure lawmakers.
* Producing compelling videos. We're putting first-person stories of anti-GLBT job discrimination onto the internet, where thousands can watch them and take action.
* Getting our message out in the media. Our communications staff is working overtime, from editorial board meetings to calls with reporters to letter-to-the-editor campaigns.
* Preparing for rapid-response. Last spring, right-wing groups launched a full-page ad in USA Today just before the House hate crimes vote. We responded with our own ad, and we won the vote. We need to be ready for another last-minute challenge.
People like Brooke Waits, in Austin, Texas, who lost her job the morning after her boss saw a picture of her and her girlfriend sharing a New Year's Eve kiss, deserve protection under the law. They deserve our toughest efforts to pass this bill. We can make sure Congress hears the truth - if we have the necessary resources.
Don't wait to give - help push us through to our $75,000 goal, and push ENDA over the top!
We've come so far, and we're so close. But a lot can happen between now and Monday.
Your contribution now helps ensure we have the muscle to defend our progress and win this vote. Thank you for helping us reach our goal. We can do this - together.
Warmly,
Joe Solmonese
Joe Solmonese
President
Having trouble clicking on the links above? Simply copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar to take action today: https://secure.ga3.org/03/enda_a
© 2007 The Human Rights Campaign. All rights reserved.
Human Rights Campaign | www.hrc.org
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323
SO, there it is; the content (excluding the header) from yesterday's Human Rights Campaign newsletter. Now, I'm more of a believer in spreading the word than the $ (that surely has a lot to do with my poor living conditions and little to do with the progress of my chosen ideals) so I'm sharing with you the status, as seen by HRC, of ENDA legislation.
Now, Discuss!
Our opponents are grasping at straws. They're handing out "fact sheets" on Capitol Hill with titles like "ENDA Protects Mental Disorders and Seeks to Silence People of Faith."
Their absurd argument? Being GLBT is a mental disorder.
But don't forget that the right wing holds major sway in Washington; that's why there's still not a single Federal law protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from discrimination.
(this statement is a little bit of a factual stretch in my opinion; i think that it is not only the "right wing" but also the perceptions of much of the public)
That could all change very soon. The House will likely vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as early as NEXT MONDAY. Your support has been tremendous - nearly $30,000 in donations poured in on the day of the ENDA hearings. But to push this campaign through to victory, we need to more than double that. So we're aiming to raise another $45,000 by the end of the week.
Help us reach our goal of $75,000 to bolster our efforts before the vote next week.
(we need to double the "tremendous [support]" yet, "we're in a position to win")
As of today, we're in position to win this critical legislation. Key lawmakers have pledged their support. You have done so much already, and we are truly appreciative. Now, we need your help to step up our efforts over the coming week - because the radical right is stepping up theirs. Here's what we'll be doing:
(ah... "because the radical right is stepping up theirs." It bothers me that words like this (radical right) must be used, yet it is only the more minimal sort of marketing eh?")
* Meeting with members of Congress. We're making sure the votes we're counting on stay strong, and helping sway the few members who are still on the fence.
* Running ads in key outlets. Targeted online ads - the most effective kind for a short timeframe like this - are helping spread awareness and pressure lawmakers.
* Producing compelling videos. We're putting first-person stories of anti-GLBT job discrimination onto the internet, where thousands can watch them and take action.
* Getting our message out in the media. Our communications staff is working overtime, from editorial board meetings to calls with reporters to letter-to-the-editor campaigns.
* Preparing for rapid-response. Last spring, right-wing groups launched a full-page ad in USA Today just before the House hate crimes vote. We responded with our own ad, and we won the vote. We need to be ready for another last-minute challenge.
People like Brooke Waits, in Austin, Texas, who lost her job the morning after her boss saw a picture of her and her girlfriend sharing a New Year's Eve kiss, deserve protection under the law. They deserve our toughest efforts to pass this bill. We can make sure Congress hears the truth - if we have the necessary resources.
Don't wait to give - help push us through to our $75,000 goal, and push ENDA over the top!
We've come so far, and we're so close. But a lot can happen between now and Monday.
Your contribution now helps ensure we have the muscle to defend our progress and win this vote. Thank you for helping us reach our goal. We can do this - together.
Warmly,
Joe Solmonese
Joe Solmonese
President
Having trouble clicking on the links above? Simply copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar to take action today: https://secure.ga3.org/03/enda_a
© 2007 The Human Rights Campaign. All rights reserved.
Human Rights Campaign | www.hrc.org
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323
SO, there it is; the content (excluding the header) from yesterday's Human Rights Campaign newsletter. Now, I'm more of a believer in spreading the word than the $ (that surely has a lot to do with my poor living conditions and little to do with the progress of my chosen ideals) so I'm sharing with you the status, as seen by HRC, of ENDA legislation.
Now, Discuss!