City of West Hollywood to Hold an Employment Non-Discrimination Act Town Hall Forum on Wednesday, May 30, 2007.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- The City of West Hollywood will host an Employment Non-Discrimination Act Town Hall Forum on Wednesday, May 30, 2007, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at West Hollywood Park Auditorium, 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act Town Hall Forum will focus on the re-introduction of the 110th Congress of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act also known as ENDA. If passed, ENDA will prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation.

"It is time for America to recognize that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people deserve the same protections that other groups enjoy under the law. The equal protection clause was meant to apply to everyone and not just a few groups of people or the majority. We are all Americans and we should be treated with respect regardless of sexual orientation," said West Hollywood Mayor John Duran. "Because of the hard work of the Human Rights Campaign, ENDA enjoys bi-partisan support. The City of West Hollywood is pleased to host Congresswoman Linda Sanchez to educate the community about the impact of ENDA on the national GLBT community," he continued.

The West Hollywood Employment Non-Discrimination Act Town Hall Forum will be moderated by West Hollywood Mayor John Duran, who also serves as the president of the Board of Equality California. Special guest speakers include: Congresswoman Linda Sanchez who serves on the House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor; John Perez from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW); and Marty Rouse from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

"The Employee Non-Discrimination Act is an important and long overdue civil rights bill," said Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. "Bigotry deserves no place in the American workplace. That is why I am proudly working with my colleagues to make this bill the law of the land," she continued.

Thirty-three states currently allow workers to be fired or denied promotion based on sexual orientation regardless of job performance. The ENDA legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives in recent weeks and has been be referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, where it must win approval before it goes to the full House of Representatives for a vote.

For more information regarding the West Hollywood Employment Non-Discrimination Act Town Hall Forum, please contact Hernan Molina, Deputy to West Hollywood Councilmember John Duran, at 323-848-6460. For the hearing impaired, call 323-848-6496.