ENDA Stalled Over Transgendered Inclusion

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is hitting the skids before it even gets a vote. House leaders (and that is the Democrats damn it) are stalling the bill for a while. Here is the statement issued by Congresspersons Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, George Miller and Tammy Baldwin.

"After discussions with congressional leaders and organizations supporting passage of ENDA, we have agreed to schedule mark-up of the bill in the Committee on Education and Labor later this month, followed by a vote in the full House. This schedule will allow proponents of the legislation to continue their discussions with Members in the interest of passing the broadest possible bill."

Let me translate, “We are throwing transgendered people under the bus.”

The committee is reportedly taking “transgendered” out of the bill to assure its passage. I do not understand why this would be better. I know there are right-wing bigots in Congress who will vote against ENDA, but they will do that with or without the transgender part, so what gives?

Imagine a Civil Rights Bill that assures the rights of all Americans regardless of race, religion or national origin, except for Jamaicans and dark skinned Cubans. Think that is fair? Backing off from the idea of full equality will bring no victory. ENDA must contain guarantees of non discrimination for gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered people or it will be morally flawed.

As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.”