House Passes ENDA
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 11/8/2007
The House passed a bill (235-184) that would extend employment protections to gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees.
The passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) marks the first time that the gay and lesbian community would be covered under federal employment laws.
Currently, an employee can be fired legally in 31 states based on sexual orientation. ENDA would extend the same employment discrimination protections currently accorded to race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability, and make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation across the nation.
Civil rights groups applauded the vote, which comes 11 years after it was narrowly defeated in a 1996 Senate vote. "It has been a long time coming," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR).
At the same time, the civil rights and LGBT communities are calling the historic victory incomplete, because the bill does not extend protections to the transgender community.
The protections were removed from the bill last month by chief sponsor Rep. Barney Frank, D. Mass., sparking controversy within both communities. The House leadership argued that the strategy was the only way to pass any bill in the narrowly divided chamber.
Many civil rights groups say that the passage of the bill, though flawed, is an important "first step" that lays the foundation for full inclusion.
"While we celebrate this victory, we do not intend to let another 10 years pass before we protect the entire community. Today's passage creates momentum that we intend to use to push for legislation that is fully inclusive," said Nancy Zirkin, LCCR vice president and director of policy.
Despite the controversy, ENDA has enjoyed broad support. According to a May 2007 Gallup poll, 89 percent of respondents supported equal job opportunities for gays and lesbians.
