The Pledge for Full LGBT Equality
IN ORDER TO FULFILL the promises of life and liberty, and to ensure equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the United States Constitution;
TO PROTECT the inalienable human right to be safe from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as required by international law and treaty; and
TO END the systemic stigmatization, cease the societal rejection and heal the suffering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans as mandated by conscience;
WE, the undersigned, pledge our support for the passage of omnibus LGBT equality legislation that grants full non-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity equal to those accorded other statuses under existing civil rights laws and Supreme Court jurisprudence, specifically including:
- Public Accommodations (Title II, 1964 Civil Rights Act)(e.g., restaurants, hotels, theaters)
- Public Facilities (Title III, 1964 Civil Rights Act) (e.g., courthouses, jails, hospitals, parks)
- Federally-Funded Programs (Title VI, 1964 Civil Rights Act) (e.g., adoption, police, schools, homeless youth, health care)
- Employment (Title VII, 1964 Civil Rights Act; 1978 Civil Service Reform Act; 1991 Government Employee Rights Act; 1995 Congressional Accountability Act; 10 U.S.C. Ch. 37) (e.g., civilian and military government, private sector)
- Housing (Title VIII, 1968 Civil Rights Act, aka the Fair Housing Act) (e.g., rental, purchase, finance)
- Education (Title IX, 1972 Education Amendments Act) (e.g., schools, bullying)
- Credit (1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act) (e.g., credit cards)
- Federal Marriage Equality (based on gender, SO) (e.g., 1967 Supreme Court Decision, Loving v. Virginia)
- Immigration, Disability, and Family Leave (Uniting American Families Act (proposed), the American With Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act)
We call upon the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus to lead the way by filing an omnibus LGBT equality bill immediately that includes all of the provisions enumerated above.
We further call upon Congress, and all candidates for elected office, to sign this pledge to pass such omnibus LGBT equality legislation immediately, but no later than 2014 — the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act — fulfilling both their individual duty and that of the United States government to ensure justice, equality, and fundamental human rights protections for all Americans.
(For Legal Details go to: http://bit.ly/PledgeLawDetails)
Download PDF of The Pledge for Full LGBT Equality
Download Google Doc for Organizational Board Endorsement of The Pledge for Full LGBT Equality
coming soon
Endorsing Organizations (alphabetical as of May 19, 2013)
ActOnPrinciples * Agape Metropolitan Community Church * The American Equality Bill (AEB) Project * Asociacion de Mujeres Progresistas * Association of Affirming and Welcoming Baptists * Arizona Stonewall Democrats * Arizona TransAlliance * Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law * City University of New York Gay-Straight Alliance * The Civil Rights Walk Across America * Coalition for Justice & Respect (Chicago) * Colorado AIDS Project * CUNY LGBT Task Force * Democratic Headquarters of the Desert * Desert Stonewall Democrats * Destiny Dominion Church * Direct Action Network (San Antonio) * Duke City Darlin’s * eQualityGiving.org * Equality Nevada * Equality Pennsylvania * Equality Southwest Washington * Faith in America * Founders MCC Los Angeles * Freedom to Marry Ohio * Forum for Equality * Forward Equality (Nebraska) * Gay Grassroots (Florida) * Gender Rights Maryland * GetEQUAL * GetEQUAL-Georgia * GetEQUAL Indiana * GetEQUAL-Ohio * GetEQUAL-Texas * GLBT Caucus Democrat Party of Hawaii * Global Justice Institute * Honolulu Pride * Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center * Join-The-Impact-Massachusetts * Kauai Pride * Let’s Reach One Million * LGBT Caribbean * The LGBT Community Center of the Desert (California) * Marriage Equality New York * Marriage Equality USA * Methodist Federation for Social Action * Metropolitan Community Church * Metropolitan Community Church of New York * Minnesota LGBT Therapists * Montrose Star * More Light Presbyterians * NGLCCNY * No Longer Silent-Clergy for Justice (Arizona) * NWA Pride * NYC LGBT Chamber of Commerce * Occupy Albany – LGBT Caucus * Occupy Equality * Out4Immigration * Outer Banks Pride (North Carolina) * Outreach (Centenary College) * PFLAG Central Oregon * PFLAG Pasadena * PFLAG Phoenix * People Acting for Change and Equality (Louisiana) * PRIDE Democrats New York * The Pride Network * Pride New Orleans Celebration * Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) * Progressives for America * Queer Advocacy Network, University of Wyoming * Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance * Queering Occupy Wall Street Caucus (New York) * Rainbow House LGBT Community Center * Reconciling Ministries Network * The Reformed Catholic Church * River City Pride * RU12 Community Center (Vermont) * The Sanctuary Project Veterans * The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (San Francisco) * Social Outreach Seattle * STONEWALL Veterans’ Association * South Carolina Equality * Trinity University Sexual Diversity Alliance * True Stories Project * UAFA Watch * Ulster County Democratic Women * The Unitarian Universalist Association * The United Church of Christ * University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Committee for LGBT Concerns * University of New Mexico Student Groups * Utah Pride Center * VenusPlusX * West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence * The Wig Project * William Way Community Center * Wisconsin National Organization for Women* Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance
