11/08/06

In the wake of the 2006 elections, Out & Equal is pleased to see that anti-gay bigotry is no longer driving elections and politics as it has in recent years. In cooperation with sister organizations such as The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, Stonewall Democrats, Log Cabin Republicans and others, we are cautiously optimistic that the 2007 legislative session will lead to new advancements in LGBT workplace equality. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which has long enjoyed popular support in public opinion polls, is just one of the LGBT-positive issues we hope to see Congress take up.

Our congratulations to Arizona Together for working to make Arizona the first state to defeat an anti-gay marriage ballot measure. Out & Equal also notes that in the states where anti-gay marriage proposals did pass, popular support has declined from the wide margins of just a few years ago.

In Ferndale, Mich., voters overwhelmingly approved nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation by nearly three to one. Over 60 percent of voters in Corvallis, Ore., voted to amend their city charter to provide equal protection and nondiscrimination for all, inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

"From a national to a local level, we are seeing more and more people supportive of basic equality and fairness in the workplace and in general," said Selisse Berry, executive director of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. "We are encouraged that our goal of workplace equality for all Americans no longer feels out of reach, and we look forward to a refreshed fight for national protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."