Contact: Carol Gregory, [email protected], 202-675-8759, @AIUSAmedia
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Amnesty International USA released the following quote in response to the Senate passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Thursday.
"The passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the Senate is certainly a step in the right direction to protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community from discrimination at work. However, LGBT discrimination knows no borders. The United States must become a leader in supporting LGBT communities worldwide," said Cristina Finch, Managing Director of Women's Human Rights Program, Amnesty International USA.
"As U.S. politicians reach across the aisle to ensure federal protection for LGBT individuals, they must also continue to reach outside of our borders and stand up for the rights of LGBT people globally in places like Russia where the community continues to face violence and persecution simply for their sexual orientation and gender identify. Or in Cameroon where people are being be arrested, charged, and sentenced for engaging in same sex relationships. The United States government needs to be a global leader on supporting the rights and freedoms of the LGBT community. Failure to do so increases the risks for LGBT people, not only in the United States but globally."
Cristina Finch is available for interviews to discuss ENDA and other LGBTI issues.
Amnesty International has long supported passage of ENDA and has a deep body of work in support of the LGBTI community.
To review Amnesty International's report Making Love a Crime, please visit:
For information about the crackdown on freedom in Russia, please visit:
https://www.amnestyusa.org/russia/
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million members in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.