WE MUST ASK! HOW ELSE WILL WE KNOW?

If anyone is doing candidate questionnaires, post primaries, I would like to offer the following questions for your consideration. We can not truly assess our support in Congress until we ask these basic questions about our inclusion in the non-discrimination laws that protect society, laws we call our civil rights laws, but which actually only stop interference with our fundamental human right to exist safely as who and what we are. If we miss the opportunity to ask these basic questions in this election cycle, we have to wonder what exactly our advocacy hopes to achieve and when. No more excuses!

QUESTIONS FOR SENATE AND CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRES

NON-DISCRIMINATION IN PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYMENT
1. Do you support the inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity,” along side “race, color, sex, national origin, and religion,” in the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Title VII) provisions pertaining to private-sector employment.

NON-DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT
2. Do you support the inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity,” along side “race, color, sex, national origin, and religion,” in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, and 3 U.S.C. 411 (a)(1) pertaining to government employment?

NON-DISCRIMINATION IN HOUSING
3. Do you support the inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity,” along side “race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or nation origin,” in The Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 3601, et. seq.) pertaining to the sale or rental of housing, real-estate transactions and brokerage services?

NON-DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS
4. Do you support the inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity” along side “race, color, religion or national origin” in the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Title II, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e et. seq.) pertaining to places of public accommodation?

NON-DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLIC FACILITIES
5. Do you support the inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity,” along side “race, color, religion or national origin,” in the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Title VII, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e et. seq.) pertaining to the use of public facilities?

NON-DISCRIMINATION IN ACCESS TO CREDIT
6. Do you support the inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity” along side “race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age” in The Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1691, et. seq.) pertaining to access to credit?

NON-DISCRIMINATION IN FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES
7. Do you support the inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity” along side “race, color, or national origin” in the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Title VI, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000d), subject to exemptions for religious organizations?

COMPREHENSIVE BILL
8. Would you sponsor or co-sponsor a comprehensive bill in 2010 to include all of the above provisions?

“Good things don’t come to those who wait. They come to those who agitate!” Julian Bond