(GayWebSource.com – Gay News & Press Network) – Posted by Michael Lamb – Echelon Magazine
LGBT activists must adapt to new political realities
As the 113th Congress quickly fades into an unproductive sunset, prospects for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), first introduced in the 103rd Congress in 1994, have faded with it. President Obama for the entirety of his administration has alienated Republicans, even those inclined to work with him, by politically going it on his own with support solely from Democrats on a variety of issues, from Obamacare to immigration reform.
ENDA has not yet been an Obama accomplishment due to his divisive politics, lack of bipartisanship, and an administration in an amazing state of disarray, hesitance, and inaction. Obama has no one but himself to blame for his multiple domestic and international failures.
Now some big fundraisers for LGBT causes who followed in Obama’s footsteps and alienated virtually every Republican on the Hill are busy drafting 2015 fundraising letters to raise more funds to continue to alienate Republicans. It does not matter that the tired approach has not worked; these Big Gay Fundraisers (BGFs) think if they only had more money it “might” work next time. Donors do get tired of this.
ENDA would prohibit discrimination against LGBT workers in companies with 15 or more employees and with no pre-employment religious exemptions, whether for religious organizations or businesses exercising their religious freedom. Could it finally succeed in the GOP-dominated 114th Congress with a lame duck Obama? In order for this to happen, BGFs must, obviously, alter their approach.
Some BGFs foolishly abandoned ENDA when the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down provisions of Obamacare that required employers to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives. The employers argued the requirement violated their religious liberty. Instead of abandoning ENDA, BGFs should have planned a campaign to counter arguments that the law would violate religious liberties of private employers.
Conservatives and business people who practice this form of “exclusion” Christianity seem to believe that LGBT people are anti-religion, anti-God, anti-faith or, worse, anti-family. Where is the campaign and who are the campaigners who will put a religious face on the LGBT community? A better question: Do BGFs understand how to work with people of faith in the Christian community and Congress to create religious language within ENDA that all people of faith can accept?
My unscientific estimation is the LGBT community of faith is larger than it has ever been. Though some churches, especially those with flashing neon signs on the church lawn, crassly advertise anti-gay messages, most mainstream churches openly welcome LGBT worshipers and their families. If the full number of LGBT faithful churchgoers were known, this could impress lawmakers and business leaders of faith. It could help them realize the anti-religious nature of employment religious exclusions and reject them in the spirit of Christianity.
Former President Jimmy Carter, Metropolitan Community Church founder Rev. Dr. Troy Perry, and New Age Rev. Della Reese-Lett are three elder faith leaders who come to mind as national spokespeople for this cause. They could dispel employers’ notions that they have some God-given right to exclude LGBT people and families from employment.
It would be un-American if not unconstitutional for an employer to require an employee to take a religious pledge. Yet isn’t religious exclusion an implied religious pledge in exchange for a job? This is an argument BGFs should take to heart and, if necessary, to court.
It was foolish for gay groups to temporarily walk away from ENDA for another important reason. ENDA, when signed into law, is not going to stop employment discrimination against LGBT workers. It will be an important tool to help fight discrimination, but it will not, in the short term, end discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. After 50 years, African Americans still fight employment discrimination. So do other groups such as women and the disabled. But passing ENDA is an important step toward ending longstanding employment discrimination against people based on sexual orientation.
Despite a 20-year delay during which LGBT workers have suffered, I am optimistic ENDA can be passed by a Republican Congress, provided President Obama is willing to work with them in the 114th Congress. It won’t be easy, but it does not have to be impossible. Everything is achievable in politics. If politicians can work together to find the oft mentioned and highly desirable common ground in Congress, we can achieve fair ground in the workplace.
About Jim Patterson: Human Rights Advocate Jim Patterson is a writer, speaker, and lifelong diplomat for dignity for all people. In a remarkable life spanning the civil rights movement to today’s human rights struggles, he stands as a voice for the voiceless. A prolific writer, he documents history’s wrongs and the struggle for dignity to provide a roadmap to a more humane future. Learn more at www.HumanRightsIssues.com
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