Human Rights Campaign Urges LGBT Community Activism: Continue the Momentum, Lobby Incoming Members of the 111th Congress
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community urged to call for action on pro-equality legislation.
WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today urged its members and supporters to call their new Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to support pro-equality legislation in the 111th Congress. The new Congress, whose members will be sworn-in today, includes more allies of the LGBT community than ever before. In the 2008 election cycle, the Human Rights Campaign endorsed 212 Members elected to the U.S. House and 16 Members elected in the U.S. Senate. To contact your Member of Congress, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your representative or senator based on zip code.
“With increased ranks of pro-equality lawmakers in both the House and the Senate, new possibilities are open to us. But we can’t stop now; it’s our job to keep the momentum going by contacting our Members of Congress and urging them to support pro-equality legislation,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “We have great opportunities before us in 2009. The House and Senate need to hear from us about hate crimes protection legislation covering our entire community, fully inclusive employment non-discrimination legislation, and benefits for LGBT families. Now that we have a president in the White House who will sign these bills into law, the focus has to be on Congress.”
“In addition to pro-equality lawmakers, there are new and returning Members of Congress who need ongoing education about LGBT issues. It is vitally important for the LGBT community to make its voices heard with the incoming Members of the 111th Congress,” said Human Rights Campaign Legislative Director Allison Herwitt.
The Human Rights Campaign’s legislative agenda for the LGBT community falls into several categories: community safety, health, workplace protections, and family protections. HRC develops and promotes legislation in all of these areas.
HRC’s 2009 legislative agenda includes:
- Fully inclusive hate crimes legislation;
- Fully inclusive employment non-discrimination act;
- Family Matters: Protections and Benefits for Lesbian and Gay Couples and their Children: For over six years, HRC has been working closely with Congress to develop, draft, and promote legislation that alleviates the burdens that marriage inequality and DOMA impose on same-sex couples and their children. Some legislation already enjoys broad support in Congress, and President-elect Obama has co-sponsored these important bills. Other legislation is in development, and will be a part of HRC’s strategy throughout the president’s term. Some of the legislative items included in the Family Matters agenda include: (this is not an exhaustive list)
- Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (“DPBO”)
- Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act
- The Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act
- Equal Immigration Rights for Bi-national Lesbian and Gay Couples
- HIV/AIDS: As health care reform is likely to take center stage early in 2009, HRC will work to insure that the critical needs of people of HIV/AIDS are part of those health proposals.
- The Early Treatment for HIV Act (“ETHA”)
- The Responsible Education About Life Act
- Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: HRC will continue to build support for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (“MREA”), which would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and replace it with a policy of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation.
- Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA): would address the pervasive problem of bullying of LGBT students by amending the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education/No Child Left Behind Act).
Background on the 111th Congress:
The 111th Congress includes freshmen Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), elected from Boulder’s 2nd Congressional district, who joins Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) as the only openly gay and lesbian Members of Congress. In addition, Rep. Betsy Markey (D-CO) roundly defeated Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), the ringleader of the campaign to write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution. In Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Mark Schauer defeated right-winger Rep. Tim Walberg, who garnered a zero percent on the HRC scorecard. In the 9th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Gary Peters, who supports marriage equality, defeated Rep. Joe Knollenberg.
In the U.S. Senate, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who supported the passage of her state’s 2007 civil unions law, has come out in support of passing a fully inclusive workplace protections bill and inclusive hate crimes legislation. Sen. Shaheen is joined by Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) and his cousin Tom Udall (D-NM), both who have supported fully inclusive workplace and hate crimes protections previously as Members in the U.S. House.
In 2008, HRC engaged in the largest electoral campaign in the history of the organization, launching an aggressive $7 million election effort to mobilize and motivate millions of LGBT and allied voters.
2009 freshman U.S. Senators endorsed by HRC:- Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
- Mark Udall (D-Colorado)
- Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire)\
- Tom Udall (D-New Mexico)
- Kay Hagan (D-North Carolina)
- Al Franken (D-Minnesota)
- Adler, John H (New Jersey Democrat, District 3)
- Boccieri, John A (Ohio Democrat, District 16)
- Connolly, Gerry (Virginia Democrat, District 11)
- Dahlkemper, Kathleen (Pennsylvania Democrat, District 3)
- Driehaus, Steven Leo (Ohio Democrat, District 1)
- Fudge, Marcia L (Ohio Democrat, District 11)
- Grayson, Alan Mark (Florida Democrat, District 8)
- Halvorson, Deborah "Debbie" (Illinois Democrat, District 11)
- Heinrich, Martin (New Mexico Democrat, District 1)
- Kilroy, Mary Jo (Ohio Democrat, District 15)
- Kirkpatrick, Ann (Arizona Democrat, District 1)
- Kosmas, Suzanne (Florida Democrat, District 24)
- Lujan, Ben R (New Mexico Democrat, District 3)
- Maffei, Dan (New York Democrat, District 25)
- Markey, Betsy (Colorado Democrat, District 4)
- Massa, Eric (New York Democrat, District 29)
- McMahon, Michael E (New York Democrat, District 13)
- Peters, Gary (Michigan Democrat, District 9)
- Pingree, Chellie (Maine Democrat, District 1)
- Polis, Jared (Colorado Democrat, District 2)
- Schauer, Mark (Michigan Democrat, District 7)
- Schrader, Kurt (Oregon Democrat, District 5)
- Teague, Harry (New Mexico Democrat, District 2)
- Titus, Dina (Nevada Democrat, District 3)
- Tonko, Paul (New York Democrat, District 21)
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.