We Need the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Los Angeles Times editorial
The heated legal and political battle over Proposition 8 might suggest that marriage equality is the last barrier to full participation in society for gays and lesbians. In fact, blatant discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation remains permissible in workplaces across the nation, an injustice Congress must rectify.
Thanks to landmark laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, most workers must be judged on their abilities and job performance, not on irrelevant personal characteristics such as race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability. Gay, lesbian and transgendered employees, however, are unprotected by the federal government.
That would change with enactment of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In both its House and Senate versions, ENDA would prohibit discrimination in private and public employment on the basis of “actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.” It would also forbid employers from segregating gay, lesbian and transgender employees from the rest of the workforce. Also prohibited would be retaliation against any person who reported a case of discrimination or opposed a discriminatory practice.
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