NationStates Jolt Archive

That sounds official, doesn't it?

So here's the story: (http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/09/092205schools.htm)
(Washington) The House of Representatives on Thursday passed an extension of the Head Start early childhood program but an amendment added at the last minute could put the jobs of LGBT education workers at risk.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, aims at improving teacher quality in preschool programs. About 900,000 preschoolers from low income families currently take part Head Start. The extension passed Thursday seeks to increase that to more than 1 million.

The School Readiness Act, which is backed by the White House, passed 231-184 with most Democrats and a handful of Republicans voting against it after an amendment was added that would allow taxpayer funded faith-based organizations to discriminate in employment.

The amendment put forward by Rep. John Boehner (R Ohio) will allow faith-based Head Start providers to hire exclusively on the basis of adherence to a particular religion.

The provision could allow an employer to use "religion" as a proxy to fire a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender Head Start teacher. The amendment also threatens to override local and state nondiscrimination laws that protect workers from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

There are any number of reasons to oppose this legislation--it overrides state and local laws for no reason, it funnels tax money to religious groups, and it allows those groups to discriminate against LGBT people in violation of federal law. Obviously, the LGBT Army is most concerned with the last of those issues, but even if you are not a part of the Army, we encourage you to oppose this legislation and take the following action:

Contact your Senators (http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm): There are email addresses, snail mail addresses, web page links and phone numbers available at that link.

Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper calling for the Senate to oppose this amendment to this legislation.

Contact your local LGBT groups and see if there is any local action that can be taken in opposition to this legislation.

Signed,
The Nazz
(I don't really have a title or anything, but I like to think of myself as the Minister of Action, baby. :fluffle: )

Bump (with a little shake in there for good measure). :D

I'll see your bump ... and raise you ^two^.

holy....

:headbang:

Just a bump? No grind?


Sheesh, the Pride parades sure ain't what they used to be....


Errr, yeah, and that legislation sucks. It's amazing how states rights go out the window when it's helps stomp on "the sinners" ain't it?

an amendment was added that would allow taxpayer funded faith-based organizations to discriminate in employment.

There are no words for how fucked up that is. *glad he doesn't have a senator to write to*

an amendment was added that would allow taxpayer funded faith-based organizations to discriminate in employment.

There are no words for how fucked up that is. *glad he doesn't have a senator to write to*
That's the reason I posted this story--in hopes that people who may consider themselves economic Republicans but social libertarians will join in opposing this legislation.

How many Americans really support these publicly funded faith-based initiatives?

nazz, glad you brought this one up.

have to disappoint you though that this has waayy bbigger dimension to it. this whole "fund-religious-groups-and-let-them-hire'n'fire-accodring-to-their-faith" shit is quite old with you guys in the US and widely prcatised (via many othe rpassed amendments) in various fields.

*rummages in her old term paper she wrote on "glbt discrimination in the US" in order to find examples+sources*

Is there no legal protection against discrimination for LGB people in the US? I know the Ts are often left out because the clause usually deals with sexual orientation, and the Ts fall through the cracks on that one:(.

Is there no legal protection against discrimination for LGB people in the US? I know the Ts are often left out because the clause usually deals with sexual orientation, and the Ts fall through the cracks on that one:(.
In theory there is such protection, but no. Federal agencies (not counting the armed forces) can already hire/fire people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

How many Americans really support these publicly funded faith-based initiatives?
The problem isn't so much that people support them, it's that people don't oppose them passionately enough to make politicians pay a political price for letting them happen. Supporters of them are passionate enough to let politicians know that they'll try to take them out if they don't support the initiative. The politician figures he's got more to lose by opposing, even if the plan isn't really popular.

That's been the genius of the anti-abortion movement. Polls show that a significant majority of Americans want Roe v Wade to remain the law of the land--more than 60%--and yet anti-abortion candidates are the majority in Congress and hold the White House. Why? Because a lot of that 60% aren't single-issue voters. A politician can think "I can put 40% in my pocket by being anti-abortion, then I only have to get another 10.1% to win." So it's worth it to him electorally to be somewhat anti-abortion, even if his district may be pro-choice.

This kind of issue is even more difficult, however, because so many people self-identify as christian, and don't see the potential harm in a close connection with the feds, unless it's pointed out to them. A few months ago, however, there was a case in Mississippi where an adoption agency run by a church--some protestant denomination, can't remember which--was receiving state money, but had an open policy of not allowing Catholics to adopt because of a difference of faith. That outraged some people, but not enough for most to see the potential for even greater problems.

okay, summing this up:
*ask the expert* :D

- there's no federal/state law actively prohibiting gays from getting a job, but there are individual exceptions(army, any faith-based organisation , small businesses ) who can do so if they please

-federal law prohibits workplace discrimination and therefore firing becaus eof bias. the text reads "protection of employment discrrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, or disability". look what's missing? nope, sexual orientation is not covered. one has to admit that 14 states amended their laws to include this, but that leaves 36 states to fire as they please w/ glbt folks. (this goes for 46 states as far as T#s are considered, btw).

- please aslo note that there's more to workplace discrimination than hiring/firing: glbt foks will practically never get domestic partnership benefits, such as married couples do.

Of all organizations to allow discriminate against workers,faith-based.faith-based things are hugely discriminatory,this not only affects LGBT workers,but workers of any religion other than the one of the Head Start program.eg,a stereotypical caucasian male Head Start teacher could be fired because he is a catholic.

This is a pro-racism(and every other form of discrimination) law from a country famous for valuing it's freedoms

you are aware that EVERY faith-based organisation in the US can hire/fire according to their beliefs, right? no matter whether they are doing some special programm like head start or whatecer or not..
but the most outrageous thing is that organisations like Focus on the Family (anti-glbt, promotes s.called ex-gay programs where gay folks are supposedly converted to straight, is shown to inflict great psychological damage unto victims, suicide rate is high, succes rates after 2 years nearly non-existent), well that such organisations are funded by the government=the taxpayers. yes, you are supporting them (involuntarily, as i hope)

Yet anothert step in the wrong direction. I'll make certain to spread the word, as well as notify my school Gay-Straight Alliance.