As shocking as it is to believe in 2010, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people can still legally be fired from their jobs in more than half of the country simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Specifically, lesbian and gay employees can be fired from their jobs in 29 states, and transgender or gender-nonconforming employees can be fired in 38 states.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is a bill that would provide federal workplace protections for LGBT employees, and it will transform the lives . The bill has floated around Congress for more than 30 years. Although we expected a vote before the end of 2009, the bill got jammed up once again in the House Education & Labor Committee.

We’ve lobbied, placed phone calls, written letters, and asked for answers. We’ve had conversations with the offices of Committee Chairman George Miller, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and out lesbian and gay Reps. Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, and Jared Polis. Their offices provide inconsistent and conflicting responses. No one seems to know why the bill is held up or when we’ll see it move, and no one can articulate a strategy to get ENDA passed.

We’re done playing games. We want answers, movement, and leadership. And we’ve begun taking action to demand ENDA move forward.

On March 18, we coordinated peaceful sit-ins in the DC and San Francisco offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Although Speaker Pelosi has stated that she supports full equality for the LGBT community – and although she represents San Francisco, whose constituents overwhelmingly mandate Congressional leadership for equality – Speaker Pelosi has demonstrated no leadership on ENDA (or on other legislative priorities for LGBT equality). GetEQUAL members spoke with her staff in DC and in San Francisco and refused to leave her office without a commitment that ENDA would come to the House floor for a vote before the end of March. Speaker Pelosi’s office made no such commitment and offered no timeline for movement on ENDA. Six people were arrested for refusing to leave in San Francisco, and four were arrested in DC.

Read this account from David McElhatton, a trans man who was arrested in Pelosi’s office that day.

On April 21, GetEQUAL members disrupted a House Education & Labor Committee Meeting in DC, demanding an immediate markup so the bill can come to vote before the House.

Read this account from Kelsey Phipps, who participated in the Committee disruption.

We will continue to keep up the pressure on the House until ENDA passes, and then we will shift our focus to getting ENDA passed through the Senate. Please sign up to get updates and stay involved with the campaign.