Dear Representative Tiberi,
Greetings! My name is Ben Wallace, I recently moved to the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus, which makes me one of your newest constituents. I grew up in Columbus, so I remember hearing your name in TV ads every two years as a kid. I was away for awhile, but I just moved back to Columbus to enroll in The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law.
I am writing you today because I am concerned about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which recently passed the Senate and now appears moribund.
Now, since this is my first time writing you, I should let you know that I follow politics pretty closely. Probably about as closely as someone living in Columbus with few actual political connections can. I listen to NPR, I check Politico pretty much every day. I like to read The Atlantic, The New Republic, and articles from The New Yorker and some other rags when I have time. You could probably guess that I'm liberal in my inclination based on those news and opinion outlets, and you would be right. I almost always vote Democratic, but I'm not a knee-jerk liberal, as you will learn as we get to know each other over the next year.
Because I follow politics closely, I realize that you probably won't be given the opportunity to vote on ENDA. It seems to me that Speaker Boehner's adherence to the so-called "Hastert Rule," preventing a vote on any bill that a majority of Republicans don't support, is as much to blame as any other factor for the immediate sclerosis in Washington. Of course there are many other reasons why Congress can't get anything done, and I'm sure they frustrate you as much as they frustrate me and all other Americans.
This dysfunction is especially frustrating in this case. Personally, I think there are many more pressing problems facing the United States than those that this bill would address. Like most Americans, I believe in equal rights and equal protections for all people. I certainly don't think that Americans should be fired (or not hired) simply because of their sexual orientation, but it may not be a serious problem in the first place. Nevertheless, I certainly don't see how this could seriously hurt anyone.
My hunch, Rep. Tiberi, is that you feel the same way. I confess that I haven't gotten to know you very well as of yet. Because of your Italian heritage I assume that you follow the Catholic faith and this may influence your views on homosexuality. Your record in this regard indicates that your vote the Republican party line in this vein. Still, I don't know how you feel personally on this issue, and I won't presume.
Whatever your view on homosexuality, I can't imagine that you believe allowing discrimination in the workplace accomplishes anything. I can't see how encouraging workplace discrimination is an appropriate vehicle for any policy.
I generally resist comparisons between the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the LGBT Equality movement, as powerful as they may be. The Civil Right Movement aimed to correct a historical injustice that was in many ways distinctly American, while LGBT Equality is a much larger human endeavor, though the inequities are no less in need of correction. This is, in many respects, a continuation of the fight for equality that was waged by our parents' generation.
When I think of Catholics and homosexuality I am reminded of this video of Senator Robert C. Byrd, who you may have had the chance to meet on Capitol Hill. Byrd was a former member of the KKK and later voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this interview, he recounts a simple and tragic story of personal loss which triggered an understanding of universal humanity that transcended race and dissolved the racist animosities he was raised with.
Senator Byrd wished that he could change his vote on the Civil Rights Act and I have no doubt that in the near future many members of Congress will wish that they could change their past votes against LGBT rights.
Rep. Tiberi, although you will not be able to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act you still may speak. Please, express your support for this bill. You will be expressing your support to extend the rights that all Americans should enjoy. You will also be expressing a voice of independence and initiative that, frankly sir, is hard to find in your Party today. Your constituents will hear you, and they will respect it.
Rep. Tiberi, please consider this my letter of introduction. I look forward to writing you regularly over the next year, and I will eagerly be awaiting your response.
Sincerely,
Ben FC Wallace
