Nearly 41,000 people have signed onto
petitions asking Senate Republicans to back a bill that seeks to ban
workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(ENDA), which was first proposed in 1994, cleared a Senate committee
with the help of three Republicans in July and is expected to reach
the full Senate on Monday.
A petition organized by progressive
group CREDO had attracted more than 38,500 signatures as of Friday.
“Senate Republicans: Discrimination
against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people at work is
not just wrong, it's un-American,” the
online petition reads. “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(ENDA, S.815) will come up for a vote soon, and now is the time to
support equal rights at work and come out in support of the bill or
at least refuse to filibuster it.”
Another 2,400 people backed a similar
MoveOn.org effort.
“Put a stop to employment
discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” the
petition reads in part. “Pass the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act!”
(Related: NOM
warns against bill banning anti-gay job bias; Calls it a trick.)