Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 18:49:38 -0400 From: Riki Anne Wilchins Subject: IYF: GPAC RELEASES ENDA PAPER; BINET RESCINDS ENDORSEMENT MEDIA ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Editor: Clare Howell, clare@gpac.org .GENDERPAC RELEASES ENDA POSITION PAPER .BINET USA RESCINDS ENDORSEMENT OF ENDA GENDERPAC RELEASES ENDA POSITION PAPER ========================================== [New York, NY: 1 Aug 99] GENDERPAC TODAY RELEASED its position paper on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The paper follows the 16 Jun 99 press release by National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) Executive Director Kerry Lobel stating that NGLTF would not oppose ENDA, but would not endorse it without language protecting transgendered Americans. Commented Riki Anne Wilchins of GenderPAC, "Kerry's statement has had a galvanizing effect. A number of national groups have now also approached us about taking similar positions and have asked for our recommendations. We felt that our best contribution was providing a full, and hopefully fair, discussion of all the issues around a more inclusive ENDA -- amendment strategies,judicial approaches, legislative concerns, and so on. "An ENDA which only protects sexual orientation in the workplace risks leaving many employees exposed to discrimination based on their gender. Because gender difference is not just a 'trans thing' -- many gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans are also in some way visibly gender-different. "ENDA should not only protect those of us who act or dress 'just like straight people,' it must also protect the 'femmy' gay man or the lesbian who wears 'men's' sport coats and shoes to work -- in short, all of us who are 'visibly queer' and who thus usually bear the brunt of workplace hostility and discrimination." GenderPAC's Position Paper can be viewed or downloaded at ### Contacts: Monica Helms, BiNet Arizona, MHelms@webtv.net Timothy Turner, BiNet USA Media Coordinator Turner@binetusa.org BINET USA RESCINDS ENDORSEMENT FOR ENDA =========================================== [Phoenix, AZ: 1 Aug 99] BINET USA, THE NATION'S LARGEST bisexual organization, voted at its annual meeting last weekend to withdraw its support of ENDA as currently worded. They join NGLTF in withholding endorsement of ENDA until specific gender-inclusive language is added to protect gender expression. A BiNet press release (25 Jul 99) quotes a recent NGLTF/ GPAC employment survey that finds "28% of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual people have been discriminated against based in part on their 'gender expression.'" The proposal to rescind BiNet support for ENDA was written by Monica Helms, a gender activist with BiNet Arizona. It cites BiNet's interest in changing ENDA. "Without changing the language, ENDA will fail to cover all the people it is supposed to cover, including many bisexuals." ### Subscriptions. Please contact: Subscribe@Gpac.org For prior releases, check the GenderPAC website at: http://www.gpac.org (c) 1999 InYourFace GenderPAC's independent online news-only service for gender activism. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of GenderPAC's Board, Officers, or membership.