Kylar Broadus, founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition (TPOCC) and long time transgender activist testified in front of the US Senate yesterday for a committee hearing on ENDA, the Employment Non Discrimination Act. Mr. Broadus is the first transgender person to testify in front of the US Senate.
ENDA is a proposed Congressional bill in the that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in non-religious employment settings with at least 15 employees. ENDA has been introduced since 1994 with only sexual orientation. In April 2007, Representative Barney Frank introduced ENDA for the first time with gender identity inclusion. In September 2007, the gender identity provision was stripped out before being voted on in the House. ENDA has been reintroduced in 2009 and 2011 congressional legislative session including both sexual orientation and gender identity provisions.
MTPC supports ENDA and encourages all Massachusetts residents to contact Senator Scott Brown, Phone: (202) 224-4543, and ask for his support on the ENDA and to thank Senator Kerry for his long standing support of ENDA.
In addition to Mr. Broadus’s activism in his home state of Missouri and his national work on behalf of transgender people of color, he assisted MTPC in 2001 and 2002 in advocating for the city ordinance in Boston protecting transgender people.
Video of Mr. Broadus’s testimony
Video of Mr. Broadus’s testimony is from Think Progress and the blog piece “First Transgender Person Ever To Testify Before The US Senate” by David Badash on June 12, 2012 on the New Civil Rights Blog