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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1999)
15 <utyZ tiLuuw tììnnew s Qay ‘Weddings??? you ‘B etill EN DA... A gain “'Best of a[[, they treated our wedding with aid the respect a straight wedding gets, and you can't get that just anywhere!... great invitations, Seautifudflowers, even a Cast minute tu\^for our Best man!" —jlean andjeffie Bond Slaughter A federal employment anti-discrimination bill is reintroduced in Congress by Bob Roehr growing sense of momentum in the past he voted eagerly for the Americans and optimism characterized with Disabilities Act, legislation ending gender réintroduction of the Employ discrimination, and other measures that did not ment Non-Discrimination Act include protection for himself. of 1999 at a Capitol Hill news “There is no magic button we can push that conference on June 24, five years after the mea will protect everybody all at once,” he said sure was first proposed. (A 1996 vote in the Sen bluntly. ate came unexpectedly close, falling one mark Later, responding to a question, Jeffords shy of passage.) called the failure to include trans folk “a matter “We are here today because we believe that of practical politics. One step at a time some the principles of equality and opportunity times is better than trying to jump forward.” should be applied to all Americans and that suc The other openly gay member of the cess at work should he based on performance, House—besides Frank—Jim Kolbe, an Arizona Republican, told his staff not prejudice,” said lead sponsor Sen. Jim Jef they didn’t need to pre fords, a Republican from pare remarks for him. “This is simple, this Vermont. “This bill is comes from the heart about fairness, this bill is and the mind and it is about equality, this bill is not complicated,” he about basic civil rights. said. “This is about fair This bill must pass this ness. This is about equi Congress.” ty. This is about not dis Jeffords said the new criminating in the work version of the bill explic place. That is all this leg itly prohibits affirmative islation is about.” action on the basis of Rep. Christopher sexual orientation and Shays, R-Conn., offered rewrites the discrimina a debater’s defense of tion language to more ENDA replete with cita closely resemble Title tions of support from VII of the Civil Rights business and religious Act of 1964. leaders. But he ended by “This new language has the benefit of 35 ENDA sponosr Sen. Jim Jeffords, R-Vt. relaying a personal story: Shays explained he real years of legal interpreta tion. Employers and courts alike understand this izes now that two of his best teachers were gay. “I don’t think that I’d be a member of Con language and what is expected under it,” he told gress today, I don’t think that I would have the reporters. ENDA would prohibit employers of 15 or hopes and dreams that I have today if it weren’t more, employment agencies and labor unions for those teachers. And yet they lived their lives from using an individual’s sexual orientation as fearful that they would lose their jobs,” he said. Shays said he believes that Kolbe’s leadership the basis for employment decisions such as hir in defeating the Hefley amendment in the last ing, firing, promotion and compensation. The bill would exempt the military and religious session of Congress “set the stage.. .for passage of organizations. It would not require benefits for this legislation.” The Hefley amendment, proposed by those workers’ same-sex partners. Jeffords dismissed rhetoric about a possible with close ties to the religious right wing, would “tidal wave of litigation” by pointing to Ver have overturned Clintons executive order pro mont, which passed a similar law nine years ago. tecting lesbians and gays in the federal work His state has seen an average of just three cases force. It was soundly defeated. Jeffords said there are ways around the fact filed per year, he said. that the leadership does not want to bring this Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., a longtime sponsor of ENDA, spoke of ethnic, religious, to a vote on the Senate floor, but he declined to and gender biases that have been slowly wiped tip his hand. “If they are able to get it out of the Senate, from our laws. He said: “Each time we have made this progress, within days or weeks people that would add tremendous impetus in the House,” Shays said. would say, ‘Why did it take us so long?’ ” Frank predicted: “If we get a chance to Kennedy compared ENDA to the Minimum Wage Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and debate this in the House, as I hope we will, I believe we have a majority for it.” the Americans with Disabilities Act. Vice President Al Gore, campaigning in Los "Now Congress must take steps to achieve the same kind of fairness for gay men and les Angeles at the city’s gay and lesbian center, bians who encounter blatant discrimination in voiced support for the legislation. “It does not confer any special rights, but it the workplace,” he urged. The irrepressible Rep. Barney Frank, D- does outlaw the kind of discrimination that has Mass., opined: “The accusations that are made become all too common in our society,” he said. Clinton, who first endorsed ENDA in Octo against anti-discrimination legislation are gen erally on the intellectual level of Jerry FalwelFs ber 1995, said the bill is about “ensuring that Americans, regardless of their sexual orienta criticism of children’s television." With more than a decade of gay rights legis tion, can find and keep their jobs based on their lation on the books in an increasing number of ability and the quality of their work. It is states, Frank said, “zero of these allegations of designed to protect the rights of all Americans trouble that were predicted by the opponents to participate in the job market without fear of unfair discrimination.” have ever come true." Clinton reiterated his support in his 1999 He noted the bill does not protect everybody. 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