Equality begins in the ‘people’s house’

Since we both came to Congress, we have seen firsthand how the conversation on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans has become more respectful, elevated, and inclusive. We can now proudly say that they are more accepted than at any point in our country’s history. Same-sex marriage is the law of the land, and we must keep working to ensure that every American enjoys the same rights and benefits guaranteed through our Constitution.

Although this is an incredible step forward, there is more that needs to be done to keep us moving forward, and it should start right here in the U.S. Congress.   

{mosads}Quite simply, we believe that the rules of the House of Representatives need to attain that equality for the over 10,000 officers and employees who work here every day. Under the current House Rule 23, Section 9, individuals are protected from employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including marital or parental status), disability, age, or national origin. To be true to what we stand for, we must get our own house in order and extend this same protection to LGBT employees.

We support the rights of all employees of the House and believe that employment discrimination has no place in this Congress or any thereafter. Congress must be an equal opportunity employer. As two members of Congress with transgender family members, we do not want a world in which our children could be fired for simply being who they are.  

That’s why we have joined in a bipartisan manner to introduce a resolution that would change the House rules so that LGBT people are protected from employment decisions, including compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.

While other comprehensive legislation has been introduced throughout the years to protect workplace discrimination against LGBT people nationwide, this is the first time in the history of the House that this stand-alone resolution has been introduced to change the internal rules of the House.

We can always hope that there is no discrimination in the House. However, the Office of Compliance (OC) reported that nearly half of all information requests, and two-thirds of all requests for counseling, were related to discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, national origin and religion. It has been recommended to the OC that it should begin tracking complaints specifically based on sexual orientation and gender identity – a recommendation welcomed by the OC.

It may not sound like much to people who aren’t impacted, but these kinds of actions are critical to achieving the goal of the House being a place where LGBT individuals can work without fear of retaliation or harassment just for being who they are.

The House rules are an integral part of how Congress operates, and we need to ensure that no individual faces an adverse employment decision on the basis of his or her actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Congress should be a leading example for companies around the world so that all people come to the workplace without fear of retaliation or discrimination simply for being who they are.

We have been fighting for these changes at home and in Congress, from extending employment benefits to same-sex partners of county employees to introducing a resolution to extend workplace protections to all House employees. We pushed for these changes because we know that the happiness and comfort of our employees is inextricably linked to the work culture and impacts their productivity and effectiveness.

For the LGBT employees of the House – today and tomorrow – we need to eliminate employment discrimination. It has no place in this Congress or any in the future. Securing the comfort and protections for our employees will ultimately make our country better. We want our children and grandchildren to live in a better world, one that is free of struggle; free of discrimination; free of the fear of bullying or mistreatment. This is a universal truth: we want better for the next generations than we had ourselves.

We believe that we can make the United States of America stronger by setting the right example and extending protections to all of our citizens. As we fight for the civil rights and human rights of all people across America, let us begin in this House – the “people’s house.”

Ros-Lehtinen represents Florida’s 27th Congressional District and has served in the House since 1989. She is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and also sits on the Intelligence Committee. Honda represents California’s 17^th Congressional District and has served in the House since 2001. He sits on the Appropriations Committee.