HISTORIC! ENDA PASSES IN SENATE

HISTORIC! ENDA PASSES IN SENATE

Transgender Law Center celebrated the Senate’s historic passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act today.

“We hear from thousands of transgender people each year who have experienced discrimination on the job. Fairness is a value shared across party lines, and so I am hopeful that this historic vote will propel ENDA to become the law of the land,” said Masen Davis, Executive Director.

Transgender Law Center has supported efforts to educate lawmakers about the importance of non-discrimination protections since its founding, and some of the stories from legal helpline callers were shared on the Senate floor by Senator Feinstein last week.

Transgender law Center fully supports the passage of ENDA. However, we join the American Civil Liberties Union, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lambda Legal in expressing concerns about the religious exemptions in the bill, which could provide religiously affiliated organizations – far beyond houses of worship – with a blank check to engage in employment discrimination against LGBT people.

The Senate’s passage of ENDA constitutes a hugely important milestone for transgender equality; however it faces big hurdles in the House where Speaker John Boehner has indicated he will not bring it up for a vote.

Until ENDA becomes law, transgender and gender non-conforming people who face discrimination at work are encouraged to file complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In 2012, the EEOC ruled that transgender and gender non-conforming people are protected from workplace discrimination under Title IV, the federal sex-discrimination law.

###