Congresswoman Eshoo On: LGBT Pride Month Of June

Submitted from the Office of Congresswoman Eshoo:

Dear Friend,

May 23, 2015 will long be remembered as the day Ireland made history as the first country in the world to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. Sixty-two percent voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, a resounding statement that placed this staunchly Catholic country at the vanguard of social change.

Every June our country celebrates LGBT Pride Month, and this year the march for equality continues with unprecedented momentum. Enormous progress has been made, but we have much more to do.

Part of our fight for equality will be decided by the Supreme Court later this month when it is expected to rule on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage in the United States. Today, 33 states and the District of Columbia now recognize same-sex marriage. According to a Pew Research Center poll released this month, 57 percent of Americans believe it should be legal for gay and lesbian couples to marry, and 39 percent are opposed. Eleven years ago, only 37 percent of Americans favored same-sex marriage, while 55 percent were opposed. My hope is that the Supreme Court will recognize this sea change in public sentiment and rule that same-sex marriage is constitutional and will be the law of the land.

This year of action also goes beyond the courts. I’ve consistently supported the enactment of laws that promote equality for all people, regardless of sexual preference or orientation. Whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, no American should be denied their right to the pursuit of happiness. I believe this especially holds true in the workplace where discrimination against the LGBT community remains rampant. It is legal today to discriminate based on sexual orientation in 29 states, and in 38 states, discrimination based on gender identity is legal. A 2013 survey of LGBT adults by the Pew Research Center found that 21 percent reported workplace discrimination.

For several Congresses Ive cosponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to permanently end workplace discrimination by prohibiting public and private sector employers from making decisions about hiring, firing, promoting or compensating an employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation creates no special rights. It simply ensures that job applicants and employees are judged solely on the basis of their qualifications and performance, not prejudice.

Nearly one year after President Obama signed an Executive Order barring federal contractors from engaging in discrimination against members of the LGBT communitya measure I called forIve joined a bicameral coalition of Democrats in calling on him to take another step: to prevent federal funds from being used to subsidize LGBT discrimination in the U.S. and overseas. Last years Order does not apply to recipients of federal grants or federal contractors hiring and doing business abroad. Furthermore, the order does not prohibit federal contractors from denying goods and services to LGBT customers or suppliers. An administrative-wide rule would go a long way toward making the federal government a model of workplace equality for the LGBT community.

In 1969, the Stonewall riots took place in Manhattan and they became a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. They inspired LGBT Pride Month and the call for equality for LGBT Americans. I think were at a tipping point once again. This time, our nation is poised to fully embrace a culture of acceptance and tolerance, and to make good on the words in our pledge of allegiance, with liberty and justice for all.

All my best,

Anna G. Eshoo