Hurray for Marriage Equality! But, What About ENDA?

While political figures continue to voice support for marriage equality, federal legislation that would protect LGBT Americans from employment discrimination has languished for decades. 

Just 48 sitting U.S. senators have a record of supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, even though polling shows 75% of Americans favor it.

Gibbs: White House will work on ENDA

President Obama will work to build support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act,which would ban employment discrimination against LGBT Americans, despite the unlikelihood it would pass both chambers of the 112th Congress, said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (pictured).

Why did ENDA die?

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act was a signature goal this year for LGBT advocacy groups that lobby Capitol Hill, but the bill never made it out of committee. Chris Geidner talks to the major players, many of whom disagree about a decision to hold the bill until it was certain it could pass in both the House and Senate.

Pelosi: ENDA is on hold until "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is finished

The House will not take up the Employment Non-Discrimination Act until after legislative action on the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law is finished, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (pictured) says. The full House has approved the repeal measure, but the Senate has not. If the Senate passes a military-ban repeal, that version must be reconciled with the House bill before heading to President Barack Obama's desk.

Capitol Hill ENDA protest today

GetEQUAL, a new lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) direct action organization, announced today that they will hold an emergency picket on Capitol Hill today, Thursday, May 20th, 2010 to demand that Democratic Congressional Leaders in the House and Senate live up to their promise to schedule a vote this legislative year on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Legislative action on the bill has already fallen victim to numerous postponements surrounded by a lot of rhetoric, without any real action. The legislation has yet to be scheduled for a floor vote in either the House or the Senate and according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s legislative calendar, less than 45 full voting days remain before Congress adjourns for the mid-term elections nearly six months from now in November. Today’s GetEQUAL protest, to be held at the corner of Independence Ave. SE and 1st St SE (by the Library of Congress), is the latest in a series of actions the grassroots LGBT organization has taken this week to push for a vote to be scheduled now on ENDA.

“We’ve heard all we can stand to hear from leaders in Congress, they promised a vote this calendar year and we expect them to honor their word,” said Robin McGhee, co-founder of GetEQUAL. “As the window continues to slowly close on available legislative calendar dates to vote on ENDA in the House and in the Senate, we will continue to hold Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid accountable for the direct promise they made to the LGBT community. Our community has done the work to lobby and educate members of Congress on the need for a fully inclusive ENDA and now is the time to stop the talking and start the voting.”

Reps. Frank, Baldwin say House can pass trans-inclusive ENDA

After five weeks of counting votes, Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., say the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, including transgender-specific language, has enough votes to pass the House of Representatives.

Frank said he rejected the idea of decoupling gender-identity and sexual-orientation nondiscrimination language.

Gay Republican, Democratic groups join in call for ENDA passage

Leaders of the National Stonewall Democrats and the Log Cabin Republicans have jointly written an op-ed calling for the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

"Employment non-discrimination enjoys strong bipartisan support, is good for American business, and goes a long way to ensure that all hard-working Americans are judged based solely on job performance. Congress must act now to pass ENDA," wrote Michael Mitchell of Stonewall Democrats and Log Cabin's Terry Hamilton.

As ENDA vote nears, Senate prospects brighten

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a top goal of LGBT advocates for decades, looks set to pass in the House, and some insiders say its prospects in the Senate may be improving. The news comes as the Human Rights Campaign cautioned Congress that inaction on ENDA this year would anger the LGBT community and could dampen its involvement in political campaigns in the fall.

"We still need to continue to do education in the Senate around the gender-identity language," said Allison Herwitt, HRC's legislative director (pictured).

Tell the House: Pass ENDA Now!

In most states, it's 100 percent legal to fire or refuse to hire someone based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Word from Capitol Hill is that the House may soon vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) – the bill that would make workplace discrimination illegal against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, once and for all.

Click here to tell your member of Congress to pass ENDA now!

Three things you can do for ENDA today

Congressional leaders said the time to take up the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would be after health care reform passed. Lambda Legal wants the House Representatives to take up ENDA as soon as they return from recess on April 12 and they've come up with a list of three quick and easy things you can do to help.

Check 'em out after the jump.

1. CALL the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Give the operator your zip code and ask to be connected to your Representative.

Suggested voicemail message: My name is _______ , and I live at (your street address) in (your city). I am calling about ENDA. My message is simple and direct: we need a House vote on ENDA as soon as possible. Thank you.

2. WRITE your representative (handwritten is best) or send an email.

Suggested email or letter:

In too many states, there are no specific protections to keep employers from firing people because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).

Federal law is inadequate; and the current patchwork of state and local laws is not enough.

LGBT people need to work to live and support their families, just like everyone else. They deserve to be judged on their work performance, and not face discrimination based on who they are.

ENDA can help fix these problems by making it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Please help by ending the delays and bringing the bill to a vote in the House as soon as possible. This legislation is vital, and is a top priority for me and my family.

3. Visit House members in their district offices.

Get an appointment, drop by their office, and definitely leave a note.

Blogswarm: Contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi and demand that ENDA be put to a vote now

Today, Denver blogs MileHighGayGuy and Out Front Colorado (OFCB), along with the National Trangender & Transsexual Issue Examiner , are participating with other blogs around the country, including The Bilerico Project , Daily Kos , Open Left , Americablog, Pam’s House Blend, Towleroad, Joe My God, Michelangelo Signorile, David Mixner, Daily Gotham, Culture Kitchen, Taylor Marsh, PageOneQ, Dan Savage, GoodAsYou, and many others in a blogswarm to ask readers to contact House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) and ask that she move the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA – HR 3017) to a floor vote.

Colorado currently has employment non-discrimination protections in place that cover both sexual orientation and gender identity. It’s time for the federal government to take its lead from our state.

Dr. Jillian Weiss, writing for The Bilerico Project says, “In 30 states across America, there is no law against firing someone based on his or her sexual orientation, and the same is true in 38 states for gender identity. Will you join with us in asking that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people be protected from job discrimination?”

Michelangelo Signorile says, “We have been promised a vote on the ENDA for almost year. It was first coming in the summer of 2009, then put off until the fall, then put off until January 2010, then February, then March. And here we are, with no vote in sight.

“The Democrats may lose the House this fall. If that is the case we will not see workplace protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people perhaps for years to come. The votes are there in the House and they can be there in the Senate if Democrats and the White House take leadership.”

Call Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965 and ask that ENDA, HR 3017, move to a vote. Let’s swarm Pelosi’s office with phone calls and let her know that what works in Colorado will work for the entire country.

EndtheLies.org takes on the Traditional Values Coalition

EndtheLies.org, a website confronting lies and distortions repeatedly used to defeat LGBT equality measures, now features Traditional Values Coalition’s recent action alert to its members where they claimed that ENDA would mean children will be taught by “men dressed as women” and forced "to learn about bizarre sexual practices.”

“The Traditional Values Coalition has reached a new low, by both dehumanizing hardworking, dedicated educators who are transgender and flat out lying about the impact of basic workplace protections for our community,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This is further evidence that the Traditional Values Coalition will use any tactic, including lies and smears, to stand in the way of basic fairness. Concocting wholly unfounded threats to our children to serve a political agenda is not consistent with traditional values.”

ENDA and Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal are moving forward, Barney Frank says

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is on track to clear a House committee this month and could get a full vote in March, according to out U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. However, Frank believes Senate passage is less certain for the measure. In other LGBT legislative news, Frank also expressed hope that language to end the military gay ban would be included in this year's defense-authorization bill.

U.S. Reps Baldwin and Polis on ENDA

Out U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in an interview with Bilerico Project's Bill Browning taped during last week's International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference in San Francisco, discusses the timetable and strategy for passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Browning was also able to sit down with Colorado's own openly Rep. Jared Polis to discuss ENDA and other pending LGBT bills.

Call your Representative today to urge action on ENDA

Lambda Legal reports that the next few weeks may mark a critical milestone for LGBT rights as the House Education and Labor Committee is scheduled to consider the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the next few weeks, and a vote in the full House could happen soon after.

Introduced in June 2009 by Rep. Barney Frank, the bill, also known as H.R. 3017, would prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Rep. George Miller chairs the House Education and Labor Committee.

Lambda Legal urges you to call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to voice your support. Give your zip code and ask to be connected to your Representative. They've even provided a handy example of what you can say:

My name is _____ and I’m a proud resident of (your city, state). I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. Please pass ENDA before the end of the year. I can be reached at _______ (give your phone number). Thank you.

Or, you can send the same message via email to your Representative.

HRC launches No Excuses campaign in support of ENDA

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, announced today that as Congressional action looms on the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), it is extending the grassroots "No Excuses" campaign to increase constituent contact with Congress and awareness of the comprehensive website: www.PassENDANow.org.

ENDA, which has been introduced in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Colorado is one of 12 states that currently prohibits such discrimination.

HRC also launched a national action alert this week to grassroots members and supporters urging them to contact Congress and express their support for a fully-inclusive ENDA.

“We need to step up the important work of telling Congress our personal stories and explaining the additional hardship we face in protecting our families, our loved ones and our jobs,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Congress is moving forward to protect Americans from arbitrary discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Like our neighbors and coworkers, LGBT people simply want a fair chance to succeed and support our families.”

Attorney General Perez speaks out about ENDA

Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions at a hearing entitled “Employment Non-Discrimination Act: Ensuring Opportunity for All Americans” today voiced strong support for the gay and trans-inclusive ENDA.

"We have come too far in our struggle for 'equal justice under the law' to remain silent or stoic when our LGBT brothers and sisters are still being mistreated and ostracized for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with their skills or abilities and everything to do with myths, stereotypes, fear of the unknown, and prejudice. No American should be denied a job or the opportunity to earn promotions, pay raises and other benefits of employment because of his or her sexual orientation or gender
identity, which have no bearing on work performance. No one should be fired because he or she is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Period."



Senate holds fully-inclusive ENDA hearing

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, praised the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today for holding the Senate’s first-ever hearing on a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. The lead sponsors of the measure are Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

“We applaud the leadership of Senators Merkley and Collins in support of fairness and equality for all LGBT people and thank Chairman Harkin for holding this important hearing,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, who also provided written testimony for the hearing. “For the first time in history, the Senate is moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from arbitrary discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Like our neighbors and coworkers, LGBT people simply want a fair chance to succeed and support our families.”

More after the jump.


The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity at companies with 15 or more employees. The legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate on August 5 of this year; a House version was introduced on June 24 and the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on the measure on September 23.

Witnesses from the hearing testifying in support included Hon. Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Helen Norton, Associate Professor of Law, University of Colorado School of Law; Hon. Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, State of Illinois; Virginia Nguyen, Diversity & Inclusion Team Member, Nike, Inc., and Mike Carney, a police officer for the City of Springfield, Massachusetts who successfully sued for sexual orientation-based discrimination under Massachusetts law. Testimony from the witnesses in support of the measure can be found at www.HRCBackStory.org.

An estimated 87% of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their equal employment policies, and more than one-third also include gender identity. More than 80 companies have joined the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness, a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. To view a list of the companies, visit: www.HRC.org/Workplace.

ENDA is supported by a broad range of civil rights, religious, civic and professional organizations, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, NAACP, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, AFSCME, National Education Association, National Employment Lawyers Association, Anti-Defamation League, Religious Action Center, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Church of Christ, American Civil Liberties Union, and many others.

Currently, federal law provides legal protection against employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age and disability, but not sexual orientation or gender identity. In 29 states across America, it is still legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation, and in 38 states, it is still legal to fire someone for being transgender.




ENDA is key, sez senior gay member of Obama administrator

Securing the passage of a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act is the necessary first step toward getting federal support for other LGBT-equality measures, according to John Berry, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the most senior out member of the Obama administration.

"If we can get ENDA enacted and signed into law, it is only a matter of time before all the rest happens," Berry said. "It is the keystone that holds up the whole bunch, and so we need to focus our energies and attention there."

Things are looking good for ENDA

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which has long been championed by out Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., this year stands a good chance of becoming law, because of a combination of factors. ENDA has the backing of President Barack Obama and strong support in the Senate. It also has a powerful advocate in Diego Sanchez, a transgender member of Frank's staff whose presence has helped to educate lawmakers on transgender issues.