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Archive for the 'Civil liberties' Category

Hearing on bill to ban LGBT work discrimination

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Martinez, on Wednesday morning will hold the first full House committee hearing on a bill that would bar employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, authored by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., would prohibit employment discrimination, preferential treatment, and retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by employers with 15 or more employees. For now, it’s legal to discriminate in the workplace based on sexual orientation in 29 states, and in 38 states based on gender identity.

Those scheduled to speak at Wednesday’s hearing include:

  • U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc.
  • U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.
  • Stuart Ishimaru, Acting Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • William Eskridge Jr., John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence, Yale Law School
  • Vandy Beth Glenn, fired from her Georgia state legislative job when she told her supervisor she was transitioning from male to female
  • Camille Olson, partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Craig Parshall, senior vice president and general counsel, National Religious Broadcasters
  • Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center
  • Brad Sears, executive director of the Charles R. Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, UCLA School of Law
  • The bill’s 159 co-sponsors include the entire Bay Area delegation but for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco; the Speaker customarily refrains from cosponsoring, debating or voting on all but the most vital legislation.

    Posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009
    Under: Civil liberties, General, George Miller, U.S. House | 6 Comments »

    Chevron counsel targeted for alleged torture role

    Posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009
    Under: Civil liberties, War on Terror | 2 Comments »

    Defense Dept. yanks terrorism/protest equation

    Posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009
    Under: Civil liberties, War on Terror | 5 Comments »

    Defense Department sees protests as terrorism

    Posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
    Under: Civil liberties, War on Terror | 34 Comments »

    Anti-Yoo activists unveil Berkeley billboard

    Posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008
    Under: Berkeley, Civil liberties, War on Terror | 3 Comments »

    Netroots Dems weigh censure of DiFi over FISA

    Posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008
    Under: Civil liberties, Democratic Party, Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senate | 1 Comment »

    Political Haiku, Vol. 4

    Posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008
    Under: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Assembly, Barack Obama, California State Senate, Civil liberties, Dianne Feinstein, Don Perata, Elections, U.S. Senate, haiku | No Comments »

    How they voted on FISA telecom immunity

    Posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
    Under: Arlen Specter, Barack Obama, Barbara Boxer, Chris Dodd, Civil liberties, Dianne Feinstein, General, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, U.S. Senate | 3 Comments »

    Cal’s John Yoo grilled by Judiciary Committee

    Posted on Thursday, June 26th, 2008
    Under: Berkeley, Civil liberties, War on Terror | No Comments »

    Activists step up efforts to oust John Yoo

    Posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
    Under: Berkeley, Civil liberties, War on Terror | 1 Comment »