Martin O'Malley Calls for Addition of LGBT Employment and Housing Protections in Federal Law

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Last edited Tue Jun 30, 2015, 01:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Martin O'Malley ‏@MartinOMalley
Last week #SCOTUS affirmed that marriage is a human right—but discrimination against LGBT employees is still far too prevalent. #ENDA

Martin O'Malley ‏@MartinOMalley
As Gov., I helped expand laws to protect Marylanders on the basis of gender identity. Now we must expand those protections federally. #ENDA


____Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Monday called for the addition of LGBT employment and housing protections in federal law following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality.

“Last week the Supreme Court affirmed that marriage is a human right, and now gay and lesbian couples will be able to marry in every state in our country,” O’Malley said. “While this is a major step forward, our fight for equality continues. In a majority of states, gay and lesbian employees can still be denied job opportunities or fired solely based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Twenty-eight states also lack laws banning discrimination in housing.”

To enshrine into federal law employment protections for LGBT people, O’Malley said Congress should pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The measure hasn’t yet been introduced in 114th Congress, but in years past it has prohibited employment discrimination in most cases on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to expand these protections at the federal level is a necessary next step,” O’Malley said. “We must continue to improve our laws, to more fully protect the rights of every individual — and more fully realize the vision of an open, respectful, and inclusive nation that Friday’s decision aspires us to be.”

read more: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/06/29/omalley-seeks-enda-passage-ban-on-housing-discrimination/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Glad you posted the tweets and the link

BehindTheAegis makes this point - I could be kicked out of my home or lose my Job.

Glad O'Malley wants to acknowledge this reality for GLBT Americans and make sure they are protected fully under the law.

This is one of those things that there is clear intersection on - as we (a mixed race couple) had to fire our first realtor when buying our home . . . In NJ in 2013.

For the GLBT members at DU - I can't speak for you - but I can feel with you - and I'm proud to support a candidate who gave a clear law that needs to be passed/expanded that helps us all!

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7. it's gratifying to see this support from Gov. O'Malley

...for moving beyond this important and affirming Court decision to addressing other legal and institutional barriers to equality. Employment and housing discrimination are insidiously prevalent around the country, as well as other forms of discrimination not yet outlawed. It's good to see he's not just satisfied to trumpet this one important accomplishment and is already challenging the system for more.

[JustAnotherGen]

10. I can't stop by Flux Pavilion should be snagged for his campaign

Stick with it past the opening (first 35 seconds) ! ;-_

[bigtree]

17. lol

...I can't stop stop stop stop stop stop
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I can't stop stop stop stop stop stop
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Now I can't stop!

[NCTraveler]

2. K&R nt.

[Agschmid]

3. I can get behind that!

[TM99]

4. I am very glad to see that O'Malley supports this.

Sanders has done so for a few years now. His statement from 2013 on it:

Monday, November 4, 2013
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement tonight after the Senate voted 61 – 30 to advance a bill that would prohibit workplace discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans:

“I am very pleased that the Senate took a step closer to protecting gays from workplace discrimination. Vermont has prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation since 1992. It’s been illegal to discriminate against transgender Vermonters since 2007. In the U.S. Senate, it has been almost two decades since legislation was first introduced to enact strong and clear federal protections against workplace discrimination against gays throughout our country. Tonight’s vote is an important and long-overdue step in the right direction to make America the democratic and inclusive society it should be.”

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-employment-non-discrimination-act

Is Clinton on public record on the importance of supporting this as well?

[FSogol]

5. O'Malley has also supported these issues for a while

and it wasn't just talk.

Secured Marriage Equality
Governor O’Malley led the successful effort to pass marriage equality in the Maryland General Assembly. Then when the issue went to a statewide referendum, he led the campaign, helping Maryland become the first state in the nation ever to defend marriage equality at the ballot box.

Protecting the Rights of Individuals–Regardless of Gender Identity
Citing the need to create “an open, respectful, inclusive world we want for all of our children,” Governor O’Malley signed into law a bill banning discrimination against transgender Marylanders. Maryland was just the 17th state to add gender identity and expression to its anti-discrimination laws.

[TM99]

6. I never accused O'Malley of just being talk.

Are you accusing Sanders of being just talk?

That would be rather ludicrous given his history with LGBT civil rights.

I am most curious as to where Clinton stands on this issue?

[JustAnotherGen]

13. O'Malley signed it into law in 2012 - it became the law of the land in MD in 2013 n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

8. The history of ENDA and the predecessor bill, the Equality Act should shame straight Americans

deeply. My own Senator Merkley has been giving a valiant effort the last couple of years and I'm proud of him for that and it's nice that O'Malley has personal reason to bother to speak about it but let's look at the timeline in question.
1974, the Equality Act was introduced in the House by Reps Abzug and Koch, a bill which would have added sexual identity to protected classes under the civil rights act. This would have offered protections in housing and in employment. Of course, it never passed in years of trying.
Eventually proponents of this bill decided to take out the bits about housing and focus on employment, thus ENDA was created. ENDA has been introduced in every Congress but on since 1994. It has not passed.

So my brothers and sisters, when this legislation was first introduced, I was too young to have a learner's permit and now I'm in my 50's. That's the context. 41 years.

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9. wow

Non-discrimination is as basic an expectation as any Americans should hold as citizens. It's flabbergasting how long it has been since this particular effort to provide legal protection for sexual identity, sexual orientation, was first undertaken. I recall the effort during the Bush years to add excluded Americans to the Civil Rights Act, in the same way protections for Americans with disabilities were long resisted, but finally achieved by a flex of political will. It was an eye opener to realize just how little America has progressed, despite all of the hoopla about how the U.S.is a free and inclusive society. It's also a revealing flaw in the character of those we elect to office that their privileged lives we enable with our votes allow them to stand in the way of such basic human rights. Forty-one years.

[elleng]

11. Again happy to see discussion of Martin O'Malley's progressive accomplishments and goals.

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12. ahead of the curve

...not satisfied with partial rights protections afforded our citizens.

Pressing forward to eliminate all barriers to equal protection and benefit under the law.

[JustAnotherGen]

14. Amen - just like he actually signed a bill for same sex marriage in 2012

When it was inconvenient to do so.

I'm surprised at some of the non O'Malley folks - who didn't know this is the kind of bravery his supporters respect. Leaders lead, they don't wait for the SCOTUS.

They sign things into law.

If I'm in Maryland and g/l - I'm thinking --

Ohhh - rest of America. You finally caught up with the states that got it right and defied the IndieTeaPublicans and got it done.

[elleng]

16. YES!

[elleng]

15. Yes he is!

[morningfog]

18. Recommend!