Euquality Works Anchorage equal rights update - Sept 3, 2009

[bsara]

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From: Tiffany McClain [mailto:tmcclain@akclu.org]
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 10:23 AM
To: Tiffany McClain
Subject: Equality Works

Dear Equality Works Supporters,

Thanks to all of you have called and e-mailed Debbie Ossiander encouraging her to help override the Mayor’s veto of AO 64. Many of you have forwarded your letters to us and we have been impressed by your passion and commitment to this cause. We believe that Assemblywoman Ossiander’s concerns with AO 64 are matters that could easily be addressed by overriding the veto and offering up amendments to Title V. Unfortunately, she has not responded to attempts to work with her productively to craft the best and most inclusive nondiscrimination law possible.

The deadline for overriding a veto runs out this coming Monday, September 7th, and while we are still willing to work with Assembly members to achieve an override, we have also begun to look ahead at other ways in which we can work with members of the LGBT community and our allies to ensure that Anchorage becomes a city that protects all of its citizens from discrimination, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

In the short run, one way that you can help us achieve our goal is to contact Senators Begich and Murkowski and encourage them to become co-sponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). If passed, ENDA would make employment discrimination a violation of federal law. While it is not a law that is expansive as our local laws—it would not protect people from discrimination in housing and public accommodations, for example—it would nonetheless be a huge step forward in our goal of achieving equality for all in Anchorage. While we would have preferred for such a law to be passed on a local level, we are willing to use every tool available to us. As we said months ago, our opponents may have prepared for a sprint, but we are prepared to go the distance and hope that you are too.

Thank You,

Tiffany McClain

To Contact Senator Mark Begich: http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator

To Contact Senator Lisa Murkowski: http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactMe.EmailLisa