Task Force at the Democratic National Convention

The Task Force is on the ground at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to continue the dialogue on important issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and our families, as well as on other progressive issues.

The Task Force applauds the inclusion of support for marriage equality and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the national Democratic Party’s platform. The platform also condemns the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which relegates thousands of same-sex couples to second-class citizenship by ignoring their valid marriages and denying them more than 1,000 federal rights, responsibilities and benefits.

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, says:

Support for marriage equality and ENDA, as well as against DOMA, in the Democratic platform is good politics and makes good sense. It is fully in step with how the entire country is moving on marriage, and the public has overwhelmingly supported employment protections for LGBT people for many years. They know it’s wrong to deprive people of the ability to earn a livelihood and provide for their families simply because of who they are or who they love. Yet in many places in the country, LGBT people can still be fired or denied employment, which is why we need ENDA. Supporting LGBT employment protections and marriage equality is not just good politics, it’s also quintessentially American — it’s about believing that we all deserve a fair shake.

Tomorrow at 11 a.m., Rea will talk about these issues on the Democracy for America live studio from the PPL at the DNC. Watch it here.

The Task Force will be at the DNC all week. Follow us on Twitter @TheTaskForce and like us on Facebook for more updates.