LGBT Activists Target Kyrsten Sinema on Civil Rights
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2014
CONTACT:
Queer Nation: news@queernationny.org
LGBT Activists Target Kyrsten Sinema on Civil Rights
Queer Nation Demands Comprehensive Federal Civil Rights Legislation
New York, NY (July 24, 2014) – Continuing to pressure Congressional Democrats to advance comprehensive federal civil rights legislation that will give lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans the same legal rights and protections that all other Americans currently have, Queer Nation is targeting Rep. Kyrsten Sinema in a social media campaign titled “Which Side of Your Mouth Should We Listen To?”
Sinema, who is bisexual, supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which only bars employment discrimination against LGBT people and has a sweeping religious exemption that would let nearly 200,000 religiously affiliated employers fire or deny jobs to LGBT Americans. On other issues, the Arizona Democrat has proposed “comprehensive tax reform” and “comprehensive, coordinated responses to sexual violence” on college campuses.
“Kyrsten Sinema’s efforts at addressing tax reform and sexual assault are commendable. But why is she doing so little for LGBT Americans?” said Andrew Miller, a member of Queer Nation. “It is time that the Democrats – and especially members of the LGBT caucus, like Sinema – demanded comprehensive civil rights for our community. ENDA would not make LGBT people equal under the law.“
In a July 11 statement on tax reform, Sinema said, "As Arizona’s economy continues to recover, Congress needs to take action and pass comprehensive tax reform. We need comprehensive reform that provides certainty, encourages job growth, and enables us to compete on a global scale.”
In a May 28 statement, Sinema said, “We must do more to protect students and equip universities to respond appropriately to sexual assault on campus. This amendment will allow more institutions of higher education to implement comprehensive, coordinated responses to sexual violence through the campus grant program.”
The campaign earlier targeted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who is gay, and has received nearly 20,000 views on Facebook. It is also being distributed on Twitter and other social media networks. Queer Nation demands a comprehensive civil rights law that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, education, credit, public accommodations, and federally funded programs.
