Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

Apple chief executive Tim Cook took to Twitter on Friday to remind the U.S. House of Representatives that on this 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it’s not too late to pass workplace protections for LGBT people. [ Read more → ]

In 2008, then-candidate Obama pledged that if elected president, he would use an executive order to protect the LGBT employees of all federal contractors from discrimination. After several years of pressure from LGBT advocacy groups, the Obama administration still refuses to act on this executive order, explaining that it would prefer that Congress pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)... [ Read more → ]

LOS ANGELES — Vice President Joe Biden called on Congress Saturday to pass a measure to outlaw workplace discrimination against gays, saying it's outrageous that the country is even debating the subject. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- Nearly 200 Congressional lawmakers on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama Tuesday calling for an Executive Order banning contractors from receiving federal government contracts unless they have a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. [ Read more → ]

[caption id="attachment_124599" align="alignleft" width="665"] Carolyn Kaster, APPresident Barack Obama signs a memorandum on Wednesday directing the Treasury Department to create a new retirement saving account he highlighted in Tuesday's the State of the Union address.[/caption] WASHINGTON -- For some White House allies, the long list... [ Read more → ]

By all accounts, 2013 was a banner year for the gay rights movement: The Supreme Court struck down the worst part of the Defense of Marriage Act, nine new states legalized marriage equality, polls showed Americans backing gay rights in ever-growing numbers, anti-gay crusader Ken Cuccinelli was defeated in his bid to become Virginia’s governor, the Boy Scouts loosened their discriminatory policies, and the “ex-gay” movement began to self-destruct. [ Read more → ]

Unless the language of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act's religious exemption strikes a better balance to reflect the true meaning of religious liberty, core American principles and millions of American working men and women have a great deal at risk. It will take grassroots pressure and pushing by equality-minded advocates and policy-makers to make that balance happen. Who's pushing the other way? Some religious potentates who oppose women's right to control their fertility and their pregnancies also oppose anti-bias laws. They claim religious principle allows them to discriminate freely. But no federal law, least of all one intended to stop bias on the job, should allow them to have it both ways... [ Read more → ]

Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has never come out as gay publicly but has been named in Out magazine’s “Power 50″ list of most influential gays and lesbians for the past three years, endorsed the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act during a speech at Auburn University. [ Read more → ]

It’s the holidays again — a time to come together and express gratitude and love for the positive things in our lives and the people in them. But as much as the holidays may symbolize a great American tradition, this country is home to a diverse set of traditions and increasingly diverse families. In such a diverse nation, there is no such thing as a “traditional” family. What connects all American families together is not having the same family traditions or the same types of families, but a shared belief in the American tradition of freedom... [ Read more → ]

LOS ANGELES — A majority of Americans in every U.S. congressional district support laws that protect against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, such as the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed last week by the U.S. Senate, according to new research from UCLA’s Williams Institute. [ Read more → ]

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- At the end of a year dominated by coverage and conversations about marriage equality, it’s other longstanding issues for LGBT people that are getting the most attention in Ohio. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), on Thursday reiterated his opposition to federal legislation to prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- Moments after the Senate passed a historic measure to outlaw workplace discrimination against gays, activists turned their attention toward President Barack Obama and a long-sought executive order that would have the same effect, though on a much smaller scale. [ Read more → ]

Despite the scare stories from those opposed to workplace fairness, ENDA does not create any special rights for anyone. It simply prohibits employers from using a worker’s sexual orientation or gender identity as the basis for hiring, firing, promotion, or compensation. It means that LGBT people will be afforded the same workplace protections already in place regarding race, religion, gender, national origin and disability. The fact is, most of America’s largest corporations have already recognized the value of treating LGBT people fairly and have enacted policies similar to ENDA. But employers in 29 states can still lawfully discriminate because of sexual orientation, and in 33 states they can discriminate because of gender identity... [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The White House issued a statement Thursday from President Barack Obama, just moments after the U.S. Senate approved the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), urging House leaders to pass the measure. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate approved legislation outlawing workplace discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, demonstrating the nation's quickly evolving attitude toward gay rights nearly two decades after Congress rejected same-sex marriage. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate is headed for a vote on legislation outlawing workplace discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Senate passage would be a major victory for gay rights advocates, but the bill appears to have little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate has adopted a Republican-backed change in a bill outlawing discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace. [ Read more → ]

NEW YORK -- In Maine, a congressman running for governor came out as gay. In Hawaii, lawmakers prepared for a vote to legalize same-sex marriage. And in the U.S. Senate, seven Republicans joined the Democrats in a landmark vote to ban workplace discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate is moving forward on the first major bill barring workplace discrimination against gays in nearly two decades as Americans' shifting views about homosexuality have significantly changed the political dynamic. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The Senate pushed a major anti-bias gay rights bill past a first, big hurdle Monday, a clear sign of Americans' greater acceptance of homosexuality nearly two decades after the law prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriage. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The Senate prepared to push a major, anti-bias gay rights bill past a first, big hurdle Monday, a clear sign of Americans' greater acceptance of homosexuality nearly two decades after lawmakers narrowly rejected discrimination legislation. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller is backing a bill that would prohibit employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, in a message written for Huffingtonpost.com, is calling on the Senate to pass legislation prohibiting employment discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender people. [ Read more → ]

PHILADELPHIA -- Gay rights groups and a state lawmaker in Pennsylvania are asking U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey to support a bill that aims to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. [ Read more → ]