Employment Non-Discrimination Law Introduced in Congress to protect LGBT employees
A measure was introduced in the House yesterday to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act ("ENDA") was introduced by two Democrats, Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and two Republicans, Chris Shays (R-Conn.) and Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) . The bill would provide legal recourse to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are discriminated against by their employers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Reverend Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values coalition opposed the bill, saying it was unnecessary: What are these people doing? There is no level of discrimination. Similar bills have been introduced before, starting in 1974, and missed passage by one vote in 1996. This bill is different from previous bills in that it contains an exemption for religious organizations and employer dress codes. It also includes gender identity, which would include transgender employees, unlike previous bills. The issue of transgender inclusion is particularly contentious in the LGBT community. More discussion of these issues can be found on my blogger page at Transgender Workplace Diversity