ENDA Passes U.S. House with Some Regret
http://www.gbmnews.com/articles/1930/1/ENDA-Passes-US-House-with-Some-Regret/Page1.html
Justin Smith
Mr. Justin B. Smith has been involved in Gay Activism since 1999. He is 28 and a U.S. Air Force Veteran. Justin was born and raised in By Justin Smith
Published on 11/11/2007
Well, Well, Well…One giant step forward for Americans, one giant step forward or backwards for Transgender people. The ENDA bill has finally passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday after a number of revisions and some controversy. The U.S. house has a Democrat majority. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) originally did an in house vote with only Democrats and the bill would not have passed if the words “sexual identity” was put on the bill. Pelosi then reintroduced the bill without the words “sexual identity”, the Democrats voted in favor or it. This bill of course has stirred up a lot of debate between Gay Activist and House Reps everywhere. Over 350 Gay and Transgender advocacy groups submitted a joint letter in protest. This bill would protect everyone but the Transgender populace. The measure exempts the U.S. military, churches and religious institutions, and small businesses (employers with 15 or fewer workers). After ...........................
Well, Well, Well…One giant step forward for Americans, one step backwards for Transgender people.
The ENDA bill has finally passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday after a number of revisions and some controversy. The U.S. house has a Democrat majority. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) originally did an in house vote with only Democrats and the bill would not have passed if the words “sexual identity” were put on the bill. Pelosi then reintroduced the bill without the words “sexual identity”, the Democrats voted in favor of it. This bill, of course, has stirred up a lot of debate between Gay Activist and House Reps everywhere. Over 350 Gay and Transgender advocacy groups submitted a joint letter in protest of the revision. This bill would protect everyone in the SGL (Same Gender Loving) community but the Transgender populace. The measure exempts the U.S. military, churches and religious institutions, and small businesses (employers with 15 or fewer workers).
After the first ENDA bill with the words “sexual identity” was killed in the House there was a major dispute in the House about the wording. The dispute raised questions about whether or no the House majority of Democrats would vote against the new ENDA, without the words “sexual identity”, in protest. The Clerk of the U.S. House tallied a vote to see how much the margin would be and found out only seven gay-supportive Democrats had defected by voting no to the bill. They included Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Edolphus Towns, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velasquez and Anthony Weiner; Rush Holt (D-N.J.); Michael Michaud (D-Maine) and all Democrats from New York City.
Pelosi wanted the bill to pass with the words “sexual identity” and showed displeasure along side Gay Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc) and Barney Frank (D-Mass). Baldwin introduced an amendment after the in the duration of the bill passing. But Baldwin wanted to withdraw the amendment without seeking a vote. Baldwin was later asked about why she didn’t seek a vote and stated, “Some people have asked why I insisted on bringing an amendment to the floor, only to withdraw it without a vote,” Baldwin said in a statement. “The reason is simple. Those left behind by this bill deserve to hear, on the floor of the House, that they are not forgotten, and our job will not be finished until they, too, share fully in the American dream.”- Source: Washington Blade
Frank reacted to the passing of the bill and gave a tearful statement: “I take it personally,” he said. “I feel an obligation to 15-year-olds dreading to go to school because of the torments, to people who’ll lose their job in a gas station if someone finds out who they love,” Frank said, his eyes moist with tears.
“I feel the obligation to use the status I have been lucky enough to get, to help them,” he said. “And I want to ask my colleagues here, Mr. Speaker, on a personal basis, please don’t fall for this sham,” he said, referring to the motion to recommit. “Don’t send me out of here having failed to help these people.” Source: Washington Blade
The vote was 235 to 184 with 35 Republicans joining the 200 Democrats passing the bill with a 51 voting margin. After tallying the votes there were about 8 Democrats and 6 Republicans that did not vote on this bill at all. Why? You ask, who knows? In the duration of the bill passing, Republicans tried to kill the bill, but were quickly defeated in a 222 to 198 vote.
The Senator Edwards Kennedy (D-Mass), main backer of ENDA, later praised the House for passing the bill. But the Senator had no comment when asked about his revisions to the bill once it gets the Senate. Also, Republican Senators also expect the bill to pass if, and only if, the bill is worded properly. President Bush is expected to veto the ENDA bill, but law makers in the U.S. House and Senate say that the passing of this bill makes it easier to put into law when President George W. Bush is removed from office in 2009.
This has been a hectic bill and I can say in my opinion I’m glad that it has passed. Even though, the so called pseudo leader of the free world is expected to veto the bill this will make it easier to pass when he (President George W. Bush) is taken out of office. This is a step forward for all Gay, Lesbian and Bi-Sexual people. Even though I feel the same disappointment that Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank that the Transgender people are not included in this protection I do feel we cannot bit off more than we can chew. Fighting for Civil Rights is a process and rushing it cannot help. Little by little we, as the Gay Community can receive employment rights for the whole LGBT community.
Relax, Relate, Release……………
Well, Well, Well…One giant step forward for Americans, one giant step forward or backwards for Transgender people. The ENDA bill has finally passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday after a number of revisions and some controversy. The U.S. house has a Democrat majority. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) originally did an in house vote with only Democrats and the bill would not have passed if the words “sexual identity” was put on the bill. Pelosi then reintroduced the bill without the words “sexual identity”, the Democrats voted in favor or it. This bill of course has stirred up a lot of debate between Gay Activist and House Reps everywhere. Over 350 Gay and Transgender advocacy groups submitted a joint letter in protest. This bill would protect everyone but the Transgender populace. The measure exempts the U.S. military, churches and religious institutions, and small businesses (employers with 15 or fewer workers). After ...........................ENDA Passes U.S. House with Some Regret
Well, Well, Well…One giant step forward for Americans, one step backwards for Transgender people.
The ENDA bill has finally passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday after a number of revisions and some controversy. The U.S. house has a Democrat majority. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) originally did an in house vote with only Democrats and the bill would not have passed if the words “sexual identity” were put on the bill. Pelosi then reintroduced the bill without the words “sexual identity”, the Democrats voted in favor of it. This bill, of course, has stirred up a lot of debate between Gay Activist and House Reps everywhere. Over 350 Gay and Transgender advocacy groups submitted a joint letter in protest of the revision. This bill would protect everyone in the SGL (Same Gender Loving) community but the Transgender populace. The measure exempts the U.S. military, churches and religious institutions, and small businesses (employers with 15 or fewer workers).
After the first ENDA bill with the words “sexual identity” was killed in the House there was a major dispute in the House about the wording. The dispute raised questions about whether or no the House majority of Democrats would vote against the new ENDA, without the words “sexual identity”, in protest. The Clerk of the U.S. House tallied a vote to see how much the margin would be and found out only seven gay-supportive Democrats had defected by voting no to the bill. They included Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Edolphus Towns, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velasquez and Anthony Weiner; Rush Holt (D-N.J.); Michael Michaud (D-Maine) and all Democrats from New York City.
Pelosi wanted the bill to pass with the words “sexual identity” and showed displeasure along side Gay Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc) and Barney Frank (D-Mass). Baldwin introduced an amendment after the in the duration of the bill passing. But Baldwin wanted to withdraw the amendment without seeking a vote. Baldwin was later asked about why she didn’t seek a vote and stated, “Some people have asked why I insisted on bringing an amendment to the floor, only to withdraw it without a vote,” Baldwin said in a statement. “The reason is simple. Those left behind by this bill deserve to hear, on the floor of the House, that they are not forgotten, and our job will not be finished until they, too, share fully in the American dream.”- Source: Washington Blade
Frank reacted to the passing of the bill and gave a tearful statement: “I take it personally,” he said. “I feel an obligation to 15-year-olds dreading to go to school because of the torments, to people who’ll lose their job in a gas station if someone finds out who they love,” Frank said, his eyes moist with tears.
“I feel the obligation to use the status I have been lucky enough to get, to help them,” he said. “And I want to ask my colleagues here, Mr. Speaker, on a personal basis, please don’t fall for this sham,” he said, referring to the motion to recommit. “Don’t send me out of here having failed to help these people.” Source: Washington Blade
The vote was 235 to 184 with 35 Republicans joining the 200 Democrats passing the bill with a 51 voting margin. After tallying the votes there were about 8 Democrats and 6 Republicans that did not vote on this bill at all. Why? You ask, who knows? In the duration of the bill passing, Republicans tried to kill the bill, but were quickly defeated in a 222 to 198 vote.
The Senator Edwards Kennedy (D-Mass), main backer of ENDA, later praised the House for passing the bill. But the Senator had no comment when asked about his revisions to the bill once it gets the Senate. Also, Republican Senators also expect the bill to pass if, and only if, the bill is worded properly. President Bush is expected to veto the ENDA bill, but law makers in the U.S. House and Senate say that the passing of this bill makes it easier to put into law when President George W. Bush is removed from office in 2009.
This has been a hectic bill and I can say in my opinion I’m glad that it has passed. Even though, the so called pseudo leader of the free world is expected to veto the bill this will make it easier to pass when he (President George W. Bush) is taken out of office. This is a step forward for all Gay, Lesbian and Bi-Sexual people. Even though I feel the same disappointment that Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank that the Transgender people are not included in this protection I do feel we cannot bit off more than we can chew. Fighting for Civil Rights is a process and rushing it cannot help. Little by little we, as the Gay Community can receive employment rights for the whole LGBT community.
Relax, Relate, Release……………