Join the Fight for ENDA - Queer Labor Rights!

The Real Nature Of the Enda Bill-Demos Butchered Bill To Eliminate Real Penalties For Discrimination On the Job
by
John O'Brien
Causecollector(at)msn.com



The Enda Bill was foisted on the LGBT community by the Log Cabin Republican Party, who manuevered with congressman Barney Frank - to drop the much better original (Bella) Abzug and then (Ted) Weiss Bill, which had far better protections for laborers.

The Enda Bill - dropped all provisions in protections from discrimination in public accomodations, services and housing - that were in the original Abzug/Weiss Bill.

Enda also raised the actual number of employees at a company, to be covered - than the Abzug/Weiss Bill, which had a lower number, that would cover millions of more workers, who work at places with less than 60 people.

Enda also decreased or eliminated any strong penalties for discrimination. Without strong penalties, what does the law then really mean, for those that feel no real financial harm to discriminate and hurt people. Poor workers have small enough recourses, to then have even less offered, with this ENDA Bill, as compared to the Abzug Bill.

Incredibly - but this is the truth on how ENDA appeared and replaced the Abzug/Weiss Bill:

The Log Cabin president had a meeting with only 3 people and manuevered to drop the Abzug/Weiss Bill, to replace with the weakened ENDA bill - because Log Cabin and Barney Frank promised they could then get sufficient votes to pass this watered down bill, instead with the new Reagan government! The then leaders of the HRC and NGLTF went along with Barney Frank and the Log Cabin Club. The very small sized Log Cabin Republicans had great influence over the political decisions of these two national groupings with Barney Frank. This says a lot about not only the Gay/Lesbian Rights Movement decision process but most of the movements today - who rely on Washington DC politics, rather than building their true independent pwoer.

Bottom Line: This decision to drop the Abzug - Weiss Bill WAS NEVER DISCUSSED in the GLBT Community - despite its greatly weakened stances. AND those who know of this switch - have gone along with this, rather than challenging this undemocratic decision by the democratic party operatives who decided this! Thus we see clearly with this ENDA, how the previous GLBT rights movement keeps adapting and conservatising - much to my sadness - by following the political line of the Democratic Party operatives, instead of insisting on the original bill - that gives better protections to GLBT workers.

Sadly the sponsors of this protest - should be demanding the original Abzug/Weiss Bill and not ENDA! So here we are - accepting the Log Cabin Republican Club version (ENDA), as to be protesting instead for - which is NOT a comprehensive discrimination bill.

The Abzug/Weiss Bill was modeled after the 1964 Civil Rights Act Bill, that became law.

I thought comrades should know - and see how the Democratic Party operatives have a long history of bending to even more conservative forces than themselves, to APPEAR TO HELP PEOPLE, when they seek accomodation and less conflict instead, so they can just continue business as usual and receive their offical graft - called campaign contributions, to carry out their main focus, which is for the corporate lobbyists and their masters wishes.

Fred Douglass said - only through struggle, will rights be achieved. - and not by this insider lobbying to prevent further struggle for REAL LASTING CHANGES. The Civil Rights Movement is a wonderful model to understand, even with today's changes in technology and organizing. ENDA does not build on that legacy.

The current lack of good leadership in the GLBT Movement - is reflected in this ENDA effort. And the groups on this protest call: Get Equal, Pride at Work, One Struggle, are just chasing after the Pelosi's and Frank's, instead of going to the Grass Roots in the GLBT Communities to build a new movement, as our center of power and not the politicians (who will respond, if we organize a better inclusive powerful movement!)

And to support as a minimum - the Abzug/Weiss Bill and to stop begging Pelosi and Frank, for the watered down Republican
Log Cabin acceptable version. Log Cabin did not want to impose on corporate interests and just wanted this bill passed for both appearances and to water down protections for poor GLBT workers. Barney Frank wanted to accomodate and settle for less - and why he also supported Don't Ask Dont Tell, that he also helped author - and thus, where we are now!
We can agree or disagree, to what extent Barney Frank may have had good intentions on ENDA. But we hopefully can all agree that we need a mass movement to obtain and secure real rights - and not rely on Barney for real effective change. Getting people organized and not just lobbying politicans, as a primary focus of ones political work, is how movements become effective.

Pelosi, I am sure will issue some nice statement of her commitment to ENDA (not Abzug/Weiss), to appear that she truly cares - likely to make her democratic lackies in the 5th Congressional District, happy to keep following her.

The non-Gay left should urge our GLBT comrades, to stop trailing after the democratic politicians in the lobbying offices of Wash DC and build a truly grass roots movement that is really independent and not under the control of the Democratic Party. Something
that needs to be done - if we are to see any real lasting changes - and not some temporary cosmetic legislation that is then thrown out when a new political regime comes to power, to serve their corporate masters. No GLBT workers should be fired from their job, evicted from their residence or denied access to public accomodations or services. The ENDA Bill does not provide this - and we really need something better.

John O'Brien
Los Angeles