ENDA Hearing Marks a Momentum-Boosting Turning Point Last week, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on the recently introduced Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017). This legislation, which now has the bipartisan support of 181 members of the House of Representatives, would prohibit employment discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation (which remains legal in 29 states) and gender identity (which remains legal in 38 states). The legislation will provide sorely needed and long overdue federal protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, who unfortunately still face widespread employment discrimination. If the huge line of people attempting to get into the hearing was any indication, this legislation has certainly generated a lot of interest on the Hill. From the outset, it was apparent just how far the momentum had swung to those who support the passage of this critical legislation. Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), one of just three openly gay Members of Congress, spoke with pride about how Wisconsin was the first state, in 1982, to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Additionally, in her testimony in support of ENDA, she specifically cited the ACLU’s 2007 report entitled “Working in the Shadows: Ending Employment Discrimination for LGBT Americans.” There is a very strong possibility that the full House of Representatives will soon be voting on ENDA, and then it will go to the Senate which already has 40 co-sponsors for its bill. Please contact your representative and senators and urge them to support this common sense legislation. Fundamental fairness demands nothing less! >>Take Action: Urge Congress to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
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