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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 1994)
COMMENTARY L et M e E arn Y our B usiness The time is new I work, to combine professionalism with personal attention in all phases o f real estate. Whether you're buying or selling, I provide extensive knowledge o f neighborhoods and complete committment to serving each o f my client’s individual needs. Once again, it is time to challenge our country to live up to its founding ideals V by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy SPECIALIZING IN ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOODS t all critical stages in the history o f a free people, the forces o f oppression must be confronted in order for the frontiers o f justice to be extended. For the United States, theHime has come again. For gay men and lesbians, the time is now. Just recently, a million people gathered to commemorate the 25th anniversary o f Stonewall, the first milestone in this longjoumey on freedom’s road. The civil rights movement is on the march again, moving closer to the ideal o f liberty and justice for all. We have refused to be intimidated by hate. Once again, it is time to challenge our country to live up to its founding ideals. A great deal o f progress has been made in the past quarter century. Although many miles have been traveled, there are many promises yet to keep. They are promises to a cook in Georgia fired for being a lesbian; to a postal worker in Michigan beaten unconscious by co-workers for being gay; and to a truck driver in New Hampshire, a stock broker in Maryland, a social worker in M is s is s ip p i, and countless others— all fired because of prejudice d esp ite their productivity and perform ance. Such flagrant dis crim in a tio n is wrong, and it is time to fight back. That is w h y, along with 30 o f my Senate colleagu es and 115 H ou se m em bers, I have sponsored the Em ployment N on-D is crimination Act of 1994. Our bipartisan legislation will ex tend existing federal protections against job discri mination to gay men and lesbi ans, and give relief to those living in fear o f losing their livelihoods. Our bill will send a strong message to employers and all U.S. citizens that homophobia will not be tolerated as employment policy anywhere in the nation. This is not about granting special rights— it is about righting senseless wrongs. Our case is strong— our cause is just— and we intend to pre vail. Polls show that the vast majority o f U.S. citizens agree with us that lesbians and gay men should not have to face discrimination in the workplace. Many Fortune 500 corporations have already included sexual orientation in their non discrimination policies. Eight states and more than 100 municipalities have acted to ban dis crimination against gay men and lesbians. By joining Reps. Barney Frank and Gerry Studds and m yself at the press conference intro ducing this legislation, Coretta Scott King af firmed this action as the next chapter in civil rights history. She said: “I support the Employ ment Non-Discrimination Act o f 1994 because I believe that freedom and justice cannot be par celed out in pieces to suit political convenience. As my husband, Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every where.’ ” A But the fact remains that, in 42 states, qualified lesbians and gay men with excellent records can be fired— with no warning—just for being gay. It happens every day, and it is up to us to stop it. Let’s be clear— the radical right will leave no stone unturned to block the enactment o f this essential legislation. Our own commitment must be even stronger. To ensure success, we need your active support and assistance. Being right is good, but it is not enough. We need to mount a major effort in order to prevail. We must inspire the complacent and convert the skeptical. To make this bill a reality, we need you to take the following action steps now: • If you have been discriminated against in employment or know someone who has— make sure we know the facts. Write to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, SD 428, Wash ington, DC 20510. Send us all the information you think will be useful in making our point. Job discrimination against gay men and lesbians is not a myth— it’s a reality that is shattering lives and denying opportunities daily. • Write and call your senators and rep resen tatives at (202)224-3121 and tell them to co-spon sor the Employment Non-Discrimination Act o f 1994 (S .2238 and HR 4636). Make sure they know this is im portant— not just to the gay and lesb ia n com m u nity— but to all their constituents who be lieve in the funda mental principles o f a democratic society. • Contact your E friends, your neigh- | bors, your co-work- q ers, your employers, § and your fa m ily a members, and make 5 sure they too make * their voices heard for freedom and justice. The phone banks o f the radical right will be working overtime— and yours must be too. • There is likely to be a massive misinforma tion campaign about what our bill does. Form truth squads and make sure your delegation in Congress has the facts to separate truth from malicious fiction. • Work closely with others in the civil rights community in your area— people o f color, women, and disability, religious and labor organizations— and ask for their support and suggestions. They are veterans in the civil rights movement and can be helpful with coalition-building and strategy. As Harvey Milk said, “None o f us are free until all o f us are free.” We need to join together, not let others divide us. If we have the courage o f our principles, if we appeal to the best in ourselves and in our country, we shall overcome, just as others have before. Together, we can overcome— in the halls o f Congress and in communities across the United States, in Oregon and Colorado, from Washing ton state to Washington, D.C. For those imprisoned by prejudice and those liberated by pride, let this be a call to action: The time has come. Together we march toward a new dawn. For personal, professional service and a free consultation call: (503) 220-1144 • Mobile: 970-3801 J T ravel A gents H I nternational « 917 SW Washington St. Portland, OR 97205 503 223-1100 800 357-3194 (Reason 7 o f Seven) 7. R E C E IV E 1 O A D D T IO N A L B O N U S D O L L A R S at tim e o f first booking. If you have never purchased travel from us, get to kn ow us! 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