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Loading ...American Airlines calls for passage of inclusive ENDA
09.29.2008 1:42pm EDT
(Fort Worth, Texas) American Airlines has told Congress that it’s time to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
“[We are] proud to express our strong support of federal workplace non-discrimination legislation that would extend basic job protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans,” the company said in a letter to members of Congress.“Our endorsement of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is consistent with our longstanding Statement of Equal Opportunity … The principles fostered by ENDA are consistent with our corporate principles in treating all employees with fairness and respect, said the letter, signed by Denise Lynn, American’s Vice President of Diversity & Leadership Strategies; Michael Wascom, American’s Managing Director of International & Government Affairs; and Betty Young, American’s National Sales & Marketing Manager for the LGBT Community.
ENDA, after it was stripped of protections for transgender people, passed the House last year. It has yet to be dealt with by the Senate.
If passed in its present form, ENDA would bar job discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Dozens of LGBT groups have been lobbying Washington to reinstate trans protections in the bill. American’s letter, released Monday, supports that effort.
American is the nation’s largest air carrier. It was the first major airline to implement same-sex domestic partner benefits, and the first to implement both sexual orientation and gender identity in its workplace non-discrimination policies. It also was the first airline to have a recognized LGBT employee resource group – GLEAM.
“On behalf of our more than 80,000 employees, we appreciate your consideration and encourage Congress to enact this important legislation,” the letter said.
Statistics released last month by Equality Forum, an LGBT civil rights organization, show that 471 of Fortune 500 companies written workplace protections on the basis of sexual orientation.
Exxon Mobil is the largest of the Fortune 500 that does not specifically provide sexual orientation protection and resisted shareholder calls to amend the policy in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
According to Gallup’s May 2008 Values and Beliefs Poll, 89 percent of U.S. citizens believe gays and lesbians should have equal rights in job opportunities.
To clear up any confusion as to this matter folks, I would like to add my perspective as a transgender employee of 21 years with the airline.
Sadly, I was forced to resign earlier this year due to discrimination in internal hiring and suspected conspiracy and slander from the GLBT Employee Resource Group, the GLBT Sales and Marketing Team in conjunction with a certain transgender “Activist” and Corporate Citizenship director…..
Yes, Ms. Young, Ms. Lynn and Mr. Wascom will tell congress all about how they support an inclusive ENDA, but how ironic that they will omit the fact that last year they didn’t support it and it was I who had addressed this in a report to Mr. Arpey, Mr. Brundage and Ms. Lynn, all of whom never responded to my report. Yet, these people are getting their names in the media alluding to the fact that it was “their” idea.
Additionally, none of these three individuals will ever mention to congress the fact that they themselves condoned a corporate hiring system that in turn rejected this transgender employee (me) for 60 internal job promotions and that the GLBT Sales and Marketing team seemed to ensure that her story of discrimination got covered up “AT ALL COST”. They did so VERY effectively by appearing to mention her subtly in the community to all of the GLBT non-profit organizations they sponsored, solely to protect their brand retention and quarterly sales benchmarks. And be sure to ask Ms. Lynn about the death threat that this employee received where the company HR department did nothing to resolve the issue and appointed a HR investigator to cover-up her story internally via a two page letter to VP Mr. Brundage filled with libelous statements and unfounded assertions so that their internal HR cronies could be protected.
And isn’t Mr. Wascom a major lobbyist for the airline as well ?? The internet is chock full of evidence of his campaign contributions, many from this airline.
So ladies and gentlemen, please don’t believe everything you hear concerning this ENDA ordeal and this airline’s support of it. This is only a smoke screen and protectionist measure against a discrimination lawsuit in which preceedings may very well be about to commence.
I thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to tell a part of my story here and for me to clarify on the above issue.
I have deliberately used a nickname here, which is the same nickname that Mr. Santiago (then Director of Corporate Citizenship) used to describe how he and his GLBT Employee Resource GROUP saw me as a transgender employee while I was there.
Step: You need to study up on transgender people. Gender reflects the body in which you feel comfortable. Sexual orientation reflects the gender of the person to whom you are attracted. A trans person can be attracted to the same gender or to the opposite gender of the body in which they feel most comfortable. We are the GLBT or LGBT community for a reason and trans people definitely belong here.
Step Said: “Changing from a Man to a Woman = a straight Woman and vice versa so how is that anything to do with our community?”
First, not all transgender people are straight. Second, bashers and bigots aren’t going to differentiate between a gay person and a trans person.
Third, it’s interesting that you call it “our community” – who gave you ownership of a community? Wake up – trans people have been an integral part of the queer community from the beginning.
Not sure what happened in the 90s, but this decade, AA has worked closely with major HIV/AIDS organizations to provide education
see: http://www.amfar.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/record.html?record=60 – 22k
At a press conference in Dallas on April 6, 2002, American Airlines Chief Executive Officer Don Carty formally announced a new partnership with amfAR to become the Foundation’s official air carrier.
Over a five-year period, our commitment of in-kind, travel-related support for amfAR will total one million dollars. —Don Carty, CEO, American Airlines.
Cafferey continued: “For over a decade, American has partnered with many of our community’s leading AIDS service groups and advocates…. American also has a proud history of supporting heroic local HIV/AIDS groups.” He added: “I can think of no group that has done more than amfAR to help address the ravages of HIV and AIDS in this country and globally.”
As part of its five-year agreement with amfAR, American Airlines will provide air transportation and related services that will save the Foundation hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in travel costs and help enable amfAR to play a truly global role in the fight against AIDS.
As amfAR CEO Jerome Radwin observes, “Through its generous support of amfAR’s mission, American Airlines demonstrates both a strong sense of corporate responsibility and genuine solidarity with people affected by HIV and AIDS.”
Michael,
As an informed bloggiste, you WILL be providing links to such scurrilous accusations, WON’T YOU?
And then, after you do, you could perhaps join us in the 21st century.
I love the ENDA bill that is waiting for the senate to get off their a$$ and approve it.
However my own personal belief is that transgendered are not apart of the gay and lesiban fight for equality. Changing from a Man to a Woman = a straight Woman and vice versa so how is that anything to do with our community?
So, I guess this makes up for the time in the 90’s when you advised all flight attendants to “remove” pillows and “fumagate” all your planes leaving Washington DC after the gay pride? You are the ‘Air Nazi’s’ and scum. A gay person flying American is like a Jew buying a Volkswagon!
Bravo American Airlines, I am glad you are my preferred airline and one where I get my mileage points through my Citibank AA credit card. I am also glad to be buying and wearing Levis, and banking at Wells Fargo.
When deciding which businesses to interact with, this is exactly the type of information that is important for members of our Family. If I have the choice of doing business with a company that openly and actively supports rights for all individuals, I will always do so over a company that does not.