Senate Passes LGBT Worker Protections

The Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) today, voting 64-32 to prohibit employers from discriminating against LGBT employees nationwide.

Though a majority of Americans believe this form of discrimination is already illegal, only 17 states have laws protecting LGBT workers from discrimination.

“Today’s bipartisan Senate vote is a critical step toward ensuring access to jobs for all Americans,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “LGBT people deserve the right to work free of discrimination. In our rapidly changing economy, access to jobs is already tenuous. Condoning discrimination in the workplace only compounds this problem for millions of Americans.”

Monday’s cloture vote on the bill was the first time the Senate has voted on ENDA since 1996, when it failed by one vote. It has been introduced nearly every session since then, but has never passed in both chambers.

“We thank the Senate for taking this important step forward and ask Speaker Boehner to stand on the right side of history and bring ENDA up for a House vote,” Henderson said.