Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is urging LGBT Americans and their allies to call or write their members of Congress to ask them to support a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Frank, in California for a fundraiser, told LGBT POV blogger/reporter Karen Ocamb that petitions, marches and sign-waving are not as effective as communicating directly with one’s representatives on Capitol Hill:
There’s only one way to do it – it doesn’t mean marching, it doesn’t mean waving signs. It means calling up their representatives – the members of the House who represent them – and say, please vote for this bill and please oppose watering down the transgender provision…Call people and say we want you to support the bill and don’t water down the transgender provision – because that’s the point of political trouble. And they should start calling now. I believe we’ll get a vote sometime this month.
What people need to focus on is lobbying their legislators. We have all that we need form the leadership to bring this bill up. We now need to get the votes. Yes, we will be checking the membership to see where they are. But the more people have called the better that count will be.
To find out contact information for your member of Congress, click here.
The Human Rights Campaign also offers suggested language to use in messages to members of Congress.
