Although we note the historical significance of today's vote, we must also recognize the position of the majority of congressional Democrats who fought to move an inclusive bill forward. While we recognize incremental advances occur in civil rights legislation, these advances must be incremental for our entire community. HR 3685 did not meet that burden, which is why some Democratic Members of Congress voted against the bill. Now that HR 3685 has passed, we continue our focus on educating Congress on the need to advance a bill which our entire community supports.

While we may disagree on past strategy, we share the concerns of Congressional leaders who seek to correct legal discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Efforts during this past month have demonstrated the support and power of true grassroots organizing which our community provides beyond the enclaves of Beltway lobbyists. This work has deepened the support for LGBT issues by Members of Congress. We now look forward to continuing our work with Congressional Leadership, Congresswoman Baldwin and Congressman Frank on passing the original Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

- Jon Hoadley, Executive Director

National Stonewall Democrats was at the center of early organizing efforts to save gender identity within the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Working with organizations such as the Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Stonewall Democrats quickly helped organizers build a coalition that has now grown to more than 300 organizations.

The combination of grassroots organizing and dedicated lobbying efforts have enabled the coalition to impact congressional positions and lay the foundation for the passage of an inclusive bill. This new model of organizing has energized the LGBT community, increased its legislative impact and positively shaped the response of Members of Congress to issues of gender identity.

UPDATE: The roll-call for HR 3685 has now been made available. The nay votes by Democrats include anti-gay votes as well as votes by Democrats who stated that they could not vote for a non-discrimination bill which did not include gender identity protections.

Link: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll1057.xml

------

National Stonewall Democrats is the only national organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democrats, with more than 90 local chapters across the nation. NSD is committed to working through the Democratic Party to advance the rights of all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

1. # #