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 Lesbian Lawmaker Offers ENDA
Compromise
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: October 17, 2007 - 9:00 am ET
(Washington) The only openly lesbian member
of Congress says she will propose an amendment to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
to restore gender identity protections.
The removal of protections for trans people from
the act, known as ENDA, has split the LGBT community like no other issue in more
than a decade.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) says she has secured an agreement from the Democratic leadership to introduce
the amendment next week on
the House floor, after the bill moves through the House Education and
Labor Committee on Thursday.
ENDA, was authored by Rep. Barney Frank and
originally contained protections for trans people. Earlier this month
Frank removed them, saying the legislation which he has been fighting for for
most of his political career would not pass as long as it included gender
identity.
Republicans and a significant number of Democrats
called the term confusing, unenforceable, and could lead to "cross dressers
being allowed to teach in schools". (story)
The bill was pulled before it was scheduled to go
to committee, rewritten, and submitted again.
Frank last week said once the gay and lesbian
portions of the bill were passed he would work to have transsexuals added. Only
the Human Rights Campaign supported the tactic.
Nine other major LGBT groups announced their
opposition (story)
and by the end of the week the number had grown to almost 300.
Friday, at a meeting between HRC, other LGBT
groups and Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi gave assurances that once ENDA becomes law and as soon as
there is enough support for amendments adding back in the protections for
transsexuals that version would also be presented.
HRC called the the process less than ideal but acceptable.
It was rejected outright by
the other major LGBT rights groups.
Baldwin's proposal appears to be acceptable,
however, to those groups who formed an umbrella organization called United ENDA.
"Clearly, our preferred strategy is to pass
the original ENDA out of committee." the groups said in a joint
statement.
"However, if we are faced with a
non-inclusive bill following the committee vote, we will work with Congresswoman
Baldwin to repair ENDA to include protections on the basis of gender
identity."
The groups, which includes National Stonewall
Democrats, also said they expect Pelosi and the
House leadership to "actively support the Baldwin amendment."
Any form of ENDA is likely to meet with
opposition at the White House.
The Bush administration has been silent on the
legislation, but on another LGBT rights bill - the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime
Act - it has threatened a veto.
That measure has passed the House. The
Senate version passed as an amendment to a military spending bill. The two
versions are now in conference.
The feuding over ENDA comes at a difficult time
for Democrats heading into the 2008 election where it is counting on a united
LGBT vote.
©365Gay.com 2007
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