The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was recently introduced (Aug 5th!) in the Senate by Senator Jeff Merkley (OR-D) joined by Senators Susan Collins (ME-R) and Edward M. Kennedy (MA-D) and is a companion bill to H.R. 3017.
The introduction of this bill marks an important day for supporters of fairness and equality. Workplace protections for LGBT people are urgently needed and long overdue. The passage of this bill is so important because it would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation AND gender identity.
Currently, twelve states, the District of Columbia, and more than 100 localities have non-discrimination protections that protect all LGBT workers, covering nearly 40 percent of Americans. Illinois is included in the twelve states under the Human Rights Act of 2005. This Act covers both sexual orientation and gender identity.
Labor unions have been key in protecting LGBT workers in their contracts and more than 150 Fortune 500 companies have enacted non-discrimination policies protecting LGBT workers. These advancements are a testament to the heroic efforts of local advocates and visionary leaders. These gains are also evidence of the overwhelming public support for employment protections for LGBT workers. Anti-discrimination measures have helped to protect workers in many places, but millions more remain unprotected. LGBT people continue to remain invisible on the job and many suffer open harassment and discrimination simply because of who they are. Passing ENDA will go a long way to rectify this inequity and indignity.
According to numerous surveys, 60 percent of likely voters in the United States support an inclusive federal employment non-discrimination law. The time to pass ENDA is now.
Thank Senator Durbin and Senator Burris for co-sponsoring this bill and urge your U.S. Representative (if they aren’t already) to sponsor the bill in the U.S. House.
