Dear Abbie Grillo, In the spirit of economic empowerment and independence that flourishes in our Waco community , we request

the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee submit to the city council a proposal to add the words sexual orientation and gender identity to the citys existing employment nondiscrimination ordinance. Currently, Texas does not protect working lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens from employment discrimination. This can lead to financial insecurity and hindered economic potential for this particular population of responsible residents. To rectify this disparity the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso and Austin as well as Dallas County have enacted ordinances within their respective governments to protect LGBT workers. As Waco grows progressively larger and continues to offer new employment opportunities, we believe its right and fair to extend existing protections to cover all citizens. By doing so, we will better secure a stable workforce and establish clear guidelines in order to recruit and retain the best employees. Finally, considering our current economic environment, we think it is in the best interest of the city of Wacos economic prosperity that LGBT employees be protected from discrimination in the workforce. Most Sincerely, Susan Duty Carmen Saenz