GLBTQ: House to Vote on ENDA Tomorrow

The House of Representatives will formally consider the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Wednesday. Last week, the House Education and Labor Committee, on a 27-21 vote, sent the bill to the House without a transgender provision, Gay City News reports.

If passed, ENDA would provide protection from discrimination in the workplace for gays, lesbians and bisexuals - but not transgendered employees.

For many gay rights groups in the country, the committee passage was a better sweet victory. While many in the gay community are ecstatic at the historical piece of legislation the House will soon consider, they are disappointed a portion of their "community" will be left behind.

In response to the committee's action, the House Democratic Leadership granted Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., the only openly lesbian member of Congress, permission to introduce an amendment adding the transgender or gender identity provision back into the bill. If the amendment fails, however, many gay rights organizations have claimed they will not support ENDA, possibly even actively opposing its passage.

As posted earlier, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nations largest gay rights organization, has taken some heat from the gay community because it has long supported ENDA with or without the gender identity provision, sparking some protests at its recent National Dinner.

Speaker Pelosi has argued in the past that passing this bill is instrumental in taking the small steps necessary to ensure equal protections for everyone in the gay community.

HRC, however, is mobilizing efforts to urge Congress to pass the bill WITH the transgender amendment via a website dedicated to the issue.

Insiders on Capitol Hill report the transgender amendment will most likely fail, but ENDA will probably pass. It remains unclear if the President will veto or sign the legislation.

Speaker Pelosi makes an excellent argument for passing ENDA with or without the transgender provision. If we only accepted "all-or-nothing" protections in the past, we'd probably still be debating civil rights for women or African-Americans today far more intensely than we already are. We must win this battle and live to continue to fight the war.