To: Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)

Tell Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) To Vote Yes to Protect LGBT Americans from Workplace Discrimination

Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) should stop stalling and announce that he will vote to pass the LGBT employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the Senate this fall.

Why is this important?

After the shutdown, the U.S. Senate will take a vote on the LGBT Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) for the first time in 17 years, and this commonsense proposal already has 55 Senate supporters and counting. ENDA simply says a corporation can’t fire you just because of who you are or who you love.

But Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas is still waffling. He’s 1 of only 3 hold-out Democrats who has not made up his mind. We think 100% of Democrats should support basic fairness for LGBT Americans.

Arkansans understand that Americans should be judged on the job based on their skills and hard work, rather than their sexual orientation or gender identity. In a new study released this September, 61 percent of Arkansans support a federal law protecting LGBT Americans from workplace harassment and discrimination. Nationwide, so do more than 81 percent of Democratic voters, a majority of Republican voters, 61 percent of senior citizens, and 72 percent of Latinos.

Wal-Mart, the state’s largest employer, has protected gay and lesbian workers from discrimination for nearly 10 years, and they adopted workplace protections for transgender employees two years ago. The company also recently added domestic partner benefits for gay and lesbian couples. If Wal-Mart can finally take steps to make the workplace more fair for LGBT employees, so should the Democratic Senator from Arkansas.

Sen. Pryor - You should follow the lead of top business leaders in Arkansas and throughout America who have decided to protect their LGBT employees from workplace harassment because it’s the right thing to do, and also the best thing for business. There’s no reason for any Senator to keep stalling on workplace fairness. Now is time to announce your support and publicly pledge to vote Yes for the LGBT Employment Non-Discrimination Act.