On November 7, 2007 The US House of Representatives passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) with a vote of 235-188. While the measure is an enormous step in ending discrimination for the GLBT community, there seems to have been something missing from the passed version of the legislation. The T, where’s the T? In October, after heated debates, Rep. Barney Frank and Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently pulled “gender identity” out of the equation and pushed the watered-down version to success.
The leaders of this measure, and the organizations that have advocated for it for years, were positioned in a very difficult spot as it became clear that ENDA would not stand a chance while including gender identity. As younger queer individuals often seem to display political apathy at times like this, I wonder who will be checking the politicking of our leaders in government? The Human Rights Campaign, perhaps the most influential of human rights organizations, stayed quite silent amid cries from the Transgender community to advocate for their inclusion.
The victory here is a complex one. A major step was made in the fight for equality. However, the nature in which this legislation passed poses a very big question for the GLBT community. Are we a community of inclusion that will continue to push for the rights of marginalized individuals, or will we bow to political pressure in order to advance only agendas relative to sexual orientation? Though the answer seems obvious, I hope our leaders recognize the importance of remaining united in the fight.
The appropriately angry ENDAblog is giving a personal, emotional perspective with updates as the bill moves through congress.
–Teddy
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , bill, civil, enda, rights, transgender
