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 Out Reps. Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank
According to the NYTimes:
The House bill would make it illegal for an employer “to fail or
refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise
discriminate against any individual with respect to the compensation,
terms, conditions or privileges of employment of the individual,
because of such individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.”
While
19 states and Washington, D.C., have laws barring discrimination based
on sexual orientation, and many cities offer similar protections,
federal law offers no such shield, though it does bar discrimination
based on race, religion, ethnicity, sex, age, disability and pregnancy.
As we posted earlier this week, the bill hasn't been without controversy. The version of the bill that passed the House left out protections for transgender people, which has upset and divided manyLGBT activists. There is also a blanket exception for religious groups, which would include institutions such as church-run hospitals.
President Bush threatened to veto an earlier version; his spokesman said he would have to review the new legislation. Most Democrats still expect a veto.
In an ironic twist, many Republicans apparently complained about not being able to vote on an amendment that would have re-introduced gender identity into the legislation:
Much of the debate Wednesday was taken up by Republicans
complaining, somewhat oddly, that they could not hold a vote on a
Democratic amendment to restore gender identity language.
Democrats
suggested that these Republicans were not hoping to protect
transsexuals from discrimination but to restore provisions to the bill
that would have made it easier to rally opposition.
Gotta love those Republicans.
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