Subscribe to Breaking NewsLowenstein: Barney Frank to introduce inclusive ENDA next week
An aide to Barney Frank told the Washington Blade that the Congressman intends to introduce a fully inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act next week:
An assistant to U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) revealed Wednesday that the congressman will introduce the Employment Non-Discrimination Act next week.
Diego Sanchez, who is transgender and a senior policy adviser to Frank, said the bill will be inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity. He noted it will include the legislative language Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) used in 2007 in an attempt to restore gender identity provisions to an earlier version of the bill.
Sanchez said the new bill will debut with at least eight sponsors, including four Democrats and four Republicans. Among the sponsors are openly gay House members Frank, Baldwin and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.). The lead Republican sponsor is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.
Some, including the host of OUT-Q radio Michaelangelo Signorile, are attributing this announcement to an attempt at saving the LGBT-targeted DNC fundraiser scheduled for next week.
If you are an invitee and plan to be silent on the issues, don’t go. If you DO go…go to SPEAK OUT!
Call these politicians to task for allowing gay apartheid in America. Remind them that gay Americans are Americans too and that they are supporting a government legally blind to the fact that gay American families even EXIST!
When gay Americans and their families ARE recognized legally, it’s as second class citizens.
Benefits for Federal Employees? Bullshit. How about equal access to American law and the right to form families, not in South Carolina or Colorado “when they’re ready to let you” but in AMERICA!
Maybe Obama has forgotten what MLK said about gradualism and civil rights.
Perhaps Mr Franks needs to review that as well!
sorry, no more chances or money from my family until some substantial changes come through
It’s good that Barney Frank is throuwing a fundraiser for this bill/law? I’m not going to give any money to the money hungry DemocRATS. I hate republican’ts too
I’m all for any progress we can make on any front, and ENDA is a good thing. That being said, I hope no one attends the fundraiser until we get some real progress on eliminating DOMA and DADT.
Go ahead and protest, guys, but just keep this in mind….
It’s very likely that Frank has been working on this bill for some time. A large part of working on a bill is marshaling cosponsors and support for it behind the scenes. There’s this approach in politics that you often don’t bring a bill up for a vote unless you’ve done the work ahead of time that shows a reasonable chance of success. (Not always, but it’s often done this way.)
Barney’s a friend to our community; please keep in mind his *whole* record. And please try to empathize.
Imagine what it’s like to work really hard to get this thing going, to have finished all of the work behind the scenes, and to have introduced the bill within the first year of the administration, only to have other circumstances thwart your effort to pass an important bill. Arrgghhh!
Protest Obama and the DNC all you want. But *please* let’s work together to pass this bill. And *please* let’s not unleash venom on Barney Frank. There are better villains for your rage….
This is the bill I’ve been waiting for. IMO, passing this bill would set the table nicely for federal marriage equality.
People need to be able to come out without fear of losing their homes or jobs before they can openly lobby for marriage equality. And it’s still legal to fire us or kick us out of our homes in 30 states…THIRTY STATES!
*Man* I want this one to pass this year. Puh-LEASE! Pretty PLEASE!!!
A thousand smacks is a lot of cash to sit in the back of the bus. No thanks.
Thanks a million, Uncle Barney!
Everyone should write to petrillot@dnc.org to decline your invitation to the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Leadership dinner. The cost per ticket is $1,000.00.
See what happens, when you take away the money – people listen up! Rich gays must flip the finger until sheet gets done
“Gay conservative” Barney Frank could have introduced this legislation in January; he’s introducing it now in an attempt to save the GLBT fundraiser for the DNC. Sorry, Barney — too little, too late. Grow a pair and get out in front on gay issues and the Dems may EARN the support of gays. In the meantime, no legislation, no money. Professor of Law Emeritus Donald Gaudard
He better not leave anyone behind. No jettisoning the Trans community this time frankfritter!
It looks like Barney Frank had to speed up the Democrats four year timetable for LGBT legislation to save the Dems fundraiser dinner for gay & lesbian suckers. After what Obama pulled last week with the DOJ brief on DOMA that compared gay & lesbian relationships to incest, its going to take more than that to quiet our community. The Dems are playing a game with us where they drag out our legislation over a period of years and dangle the carrot in front of us. We keep giving them our money, support and votes and they keep making the same old promises that they delaying. Oh yeah, milk that cash cow! We need to tell Obama and the Dems that this game is over. From now on it should be No Equality For The LGBT Community = No Money, No Support And No Votes For Obama And The Dems.
NOBODY GO ! NOBODY!!!!!!!
Too little Too late Barney… and no dinner for you, or you are a turncoat!