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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.
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