ENDA Resources, and a New Gay Blog at the New York Times

We all have many things to be thankful for during this holiday. Given the current economy, it's important to be grateful for gainful employment for ourselves and our families.

Unfortunately, being LGBT can often be a barrier for employment. That's why employment nondiscrimination is Equality NC's next big initiative (coming off of the success of our school antibullying work). This issue is also moving along at the national level with the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Equality NC will be asking for your help to do some federal-level phonebanking for this issue, and you can find information online to help make the case. Some good links include:

• United ENDA United ENDA is a coalition of state, local and national LGBT organizations and allies committed to the passage of comprehensive federal legislation that protects individuals from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. United ENDA is a coalition effort of nearly 400 organizations, including Equality NC, where the power of the coalition comes from all of the work done by all of the organizations in the coalition.

• National Transgender Discrimination Survey (PDF), produced by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. (Preliminary findings from Sept. 2009.)
  
  
• ENDA Toolkit (PDF), produced by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
  
  
• Take Action for ENDA (PDF), produced by the National Center for Transgender Equality
  
  
• PFLAG's talking points and information on ENDA

• HRC's Pass ENDA Now page
  

Education is basically the essence of all of our nondiscrimination work. Americans believe in justice, fairness, and equal treatment, so we make the most progress when we can show people the inequities that LGBT citizens face.

Along those lines, the New York Times has launched a new blog feature, What If You’re Gay? that examines the issues that face gay couples, especially those that come from being denied marriage equality.

Check out this new feature: For Gay Couples, ‘Traditional’ Divorce Isn’t Always an Option and Seven Tips for Dissolving Gay Unions.