The Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ) was pulled from its scheduled vote on the floor on the U.S. House of Representatives last week, with no word on when it might occur. The flurry of communications by supporters also has calmed down.
The Hill, a newspaper that covers Washington politics, reported Oct. 25 that Democratic freshmen do not want to vote on the amendment to ENDA that would extend coverage to transgender persons.
The Democratic leadership had promised Tammy Baldwin, that body's only open lesbian, a vote on the floor of the House on her amendment as part of the compromise that allowed a gay only version of ENDA to emerge from committee. That promise had helped to mollify those who had pushed for the committee to pass the trans-inclusive ENDA as it was originally introduced.
There has been tremendous pressure on Baldwin to withdraw her amendment. But she has shown great fortitude, first in not endorsing Barney Frank's stripped-down bill, and now in insisting on a floor vote on the trans-inclusive amendment.
Pulling a floor vote for the second time in less than a month, without an announced strategy and date for a rescheduled vote, is an indication that the leadership is floundering in handling the issue. And the clock is ticking, with adjournment for the year scheduled for mid-November.
Chicago lobbyist Michael Bauer spoke with the Democratic leadership last week. He said, 'They think they are doing something good for the gay community, but what they will get out of it is not only a lack of appreciation, they will get major criticism from one end of the country to the other.'
He acknowledged that the conversation might be very different if there was a chance that the Senate would pass the bill and the President sign it, but that is not in the cards. Bauer said, 'We are throwing transgender people overboard and accomplishing nothing, just for House Democrats to feel good about themselves for passing something. It doesn't play well, and they don't get it.'
