- Protesters gathered outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office on Tuesday. (Rex Wockner)
GetEQUAL plans an emergency picket on Capitol Hill at noon today to demand that Democratic leaders in Congress live up to their promise of holding votes this year on the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. As we reported last week, time is running out for the legislation to be considered year. From GetEQUAL’s press release:
Legislative action on the bill has already fallen victim to numerous postponements surrounded by a lot of rhetoric, without any real action. The legislation has yet to be scheduled for a floor vote in either the House or the Senate and according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s legislative calendar, less than 45 full voting days remain before Congress adjourns for the mid-term elections nearly six months from now in November. Today’s GetEQUAL protest, to be held at the corner of Independence Ave. SE and 1st St SE (by the Library of Congress), is the latest in a series of actions the grassroots LGBT organization has taken this week to push for a vote to be scheduled now on ENDA.
“We’ve heard all we can stand to hear from leaders in Congress, they promised a vote this calendar year and we expect them to honor their word,” said Robin McGhee, co-founder of GetEQUAL. “As the window continues to slowly close on available legislative calendar dates to vote on ENDA in the House and in the Senate, we will continue to hold Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid accountable for the direct promise they made to the LGBT community. Our community has done the work to lobby and educate members of Congress on the need for a fully inclusive ENDA and now is the time to stop the talking and start the voting.”
This past Tuesday, GetEQUAL and other groups staged a rally outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office, shown above. They also reportedly plan a second rally at the same location today. For more on the status of both ENDA and the repeal of “don’t ask don’t tell,” see Friday’s Voice.
More STUPID from GetATTENTION.
Nobody is participating in these juvenile publicity stunts. The strategy of “demanding” is not effective and it is counterproductive.
If demanding was all it took, we’d have achieved our equality a long time ago. Barney Frank was right – these are “stupid, childish stunts” and “they don’t change any minds.”
It’s time for GetATTENTION to GetLOST.
I’d like to hear more from Barney. He’s cool! What was this article about? uh???
Today “about a dozen protesters” showed up in DC for a “Demand ENDA Now Rally.” They brought the “ENDA Dancers” that performed a number based on the Village People favorite Y-M-C-A, but changed the letters and lyrics to reflect their anger and frustration. Cute.
GetATTENTION is almost out of money. This lunacy will stop soon. I get the sense that eventually these misfits will just kidnap the President’s daughters and hold them hostage. Demanding may work with some hostages. Right? Don’t be surprised.