Pressure Increases To Pass ENDA
In a call for legislators to pass the Employment Non-discrimination Act
(ENDA), Vice President Biden called employers’ ability in some states
to fire employees because of their sexuality “barbaric” and
“bizarre” during a keynote address at the Human Rights Campaign
Gala dinner Saturday.
“Hate can never be defended because it’s a so-called cultural
norm,” he said. “I’ve had it up to here with cultural
norms.” He called on Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination
Act, or ENDA, which would outlaw discrimination by most private employers
against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
If you believe you have been discriminated against based on your sexual
orientation it is critical you consult with an experienced
Georgia employment discrimination law firm right away.
If ENDA passes, it would join other anti-discrimination laws such as title
VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes its illegal to discriminate
against employees, former employees and applicants for employment on on
the basis of gender, race, national origin or religion. Since the passage
of Title VII, Congress has passed additional laws to expand the scope
of the anti-discrimination laws in order to prohibit other forms of discrimination.
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits disability discrimination,
and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects individuals over
the age of 40 from discrimination.
Similarly, (ENDA) would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment
on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by employers with
at least 15 employees. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is
legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit
discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation
or gender identity by employers with at least 15 employees.
These comments come just days after Congress sent a letter to President
Obama calling on him to sign an executive order banning federal contractors
from discriminating against LGBT workers. President Obama has said that
he would prefer that a law be passed outlawing LGBT discrimination, but
is now under increasing pressure to pass such an important law via executive order.
Legislators wrote “We are committed to doing all that we can in
Congress to get ENDA to your desk this year; however, there is no reason
you cannot immediately act by taking this important step.”
As
Georgia anti- employment discrimination lawyers, we are committed to promoting workplace equality and eliminating all
forms of workplace bias and discrimination. For more information, or if
you believe that you have suffered any wrongful employment discrimination,
please consult the compassionate workers’ rights attorneys at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate case evaluation.