Deb Price: Not willing to wait to be equal
Deb Price | national columnist | Posted: Saturday, May 15, 2010 4:30 am
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/article_0c3f1762-1ef5-5115-9224-98d55b4a5692.html (http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/article_0c3f1762-1ef5-5115-9224-98d55b4a5692.html)
As House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller opened a recent hearing, an activist interrupted him: "I am here with Get Equal to demand that you no longer delay markup of ENDA."
The activist, Robin McGehee, walked toward Miller carrying felt-tipped markers that symbolized her point: Until the Employment Non-Discrimination Act gets marked up -- that is, shaped into final form -- and becomes law, firing workers for being gay or transgender will remain legal in much of the nation. Several equality sidekicks followed McGehee, carrying signs: "GET EQUAL. PASS ENDA."
Miller, neither thrown off nor amused, refused the markers and said, "We're working on that as expeditiously as we can," adding that the bill is "complicated," that he wants "to get it right," that "we expect to have it before this committee in the very near future."