Los Feliz Ledger - House Should Pass Employment Non-Discrimination Act

Op-Ed

When the Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) --legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity--it was a moment many supporters of the bill never thought they would see. For years, ENDA had languished in committee and failed to receive enough Republican backing to make it to the Senate Floor.

But on Nov. 7th, seven Republicans unexpectedly changed course and joined with their Democratic colleagues to pass ENDA 64-32. Now, the pressure is on the House of Representatives and Speaker Boehner to act by bringing this bipartisan legislation up for a vote.

Since ENDA was first introduced, and from my very first days in Congress, I have fought to give LGBT Americans the same assurances that every other citizen in the workforce has--that they will not be fired for simply being who they are.

In a recent letter from a constituent, the justification for such a law was made poignantly clear: "When you discriminate against any group of people, including gays and lesbians, you are turning away talented individuals, and you are hurting this country."

Unfortunately, Speaker Boehner simply does not understand, suggesting through a spokesman that somehow ENDA is anti-business. But while the Speaker may not get it, the Members of the House do--if the Speaker allowed the bill a vote on the House floor tomorrow it would pass with a strong bipartisan vote.

While the House leadership drags its feet, there is no need for the administration to delay its part. President Obama can issue an Executive Order prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by all federal contractors, which include many of our nation's largest corporations and almost all large multinational corporations. I have written to the President, in a letter joined by many of my colleagues, urging him to take this important step.

ENDA is not only good economics--discrimination doesn't let the best workers reach the top and is bad for business--but it is a moral imperative. When President Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 in 1965, he banned discrimination on the basis of skin color, sex, and religion among federal contractors. Now it's President Obama's opportunity to continue that legacy and break down another barrier to equality.

Our nation, since its founding, has moved slowly, but inexorably towards a more just, more inclusive society, and we should not deny the protections of the law to LGBT Americans that we have extended to others. Opponents of ENDA are on the wrong side of history, just as opponents of the civil rights movement were in 1960′s. If the House of Representatives won't act, then President Obama should.

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