There's often been a lot of diaries and support for the repeal of DADT on dKos. And luckily, there's been recent judicial movement towards progress in that arena. But ENDA has sat on the back-burner. While the election on November 2 may decide the fate of many progressive reforms, it's worth keeping our eye on the ball in the final stretch.
We believe in a country that always strives toward more equality; we believe none of us are lesser in personhood. Then ENDA matters because legally, many have no repercussions for lost jobs, embarrassment, harassment. The majority of states have no ENDA-equivalent laws: there are workplace protection laws for sexual orientation in only 21 states.
A particularly egregious case reminds us how petty and irrational people can be. A gay man was fired in Mississippi. The man was a corrections officer for a college-town police department. He was fired because he called the police one night: he called the police because he was the victim of assault. Read again, if needed. More below, if you can stomach it.
Hattiesburg American -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Monday on behalf of a former Forrest County Sheriff's Department employee alleging the man was fired because his supervisors learned he was gay.
[. . .]
The complaint filed in federal court states that Cooley had told a few co-workers about his sexual orientation, but was still not officially "out of the closet" on the job.
The incidents pertinent to the lawsuit began with a 911 call placed by Cooley on June 14, requesting help in a domestic disturbance.
A Hattiesburg Police Department report lists Cooley as the victim and describes his male companion as the assailant. The complaint states Bolton also responded to the call and ordered Cooley to report to his immediate supervisor before returning to work after learning of the two men's relationship.
Once Cooley reported to his superior, he was summarily fired. The sherriff is sticking to his story:
"He got in a fight with his boyfriend and the police were called to his house for a domestic disturbance," McGee said. "Those kinds of incidents don't speak well for people in law enforcement."
The sheriff confirmed that no official charges had been filed against Cooley, and declined comment on the issue of Cooley's sexual orientation, saying he would speak to that in court.
No, bigot sheriffs don't speak well for law enforcement. Are gay employees of the police department supposed to take domestic abuse in the name of keeping their jobs? Are police officers not allowed to dial 911 when they are attacked? Ridiculous, shameful -- and unsurprising.
The right to work and livelihood, fairly and equally available to all, is a basic tenet of our evolving western democracies. The problem is, it still doesn't apply to everyone.
I've always been of the opinion that ENDA matters more than DADT. The reason is simple: ENDA affects far more people. I believe LGBTs should have the opportunity for a safe and secure job at home first. How many stories of jobs lost to discrimination go unnoticed? Do you have one?
I applaud Mr. Cooley and wish him the best in his lawsuit against the police department. But I call on everyone here to keep pressuring Congress, and to VOTE so we have a Congress to pressure. Everyday that goes by without reform is another story like this for history.