COMPILED BY AMY WOOTEN
'WHILE ENDA'S VICTORY WILL REPRESENT A HISTORIC VICTORY, I share the disappointment of Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank and others who support including protections for transgender individuals in ENDA. While I had hoped that we could have included gender identity, I support final passage of ENDA because its passage will build momentum for further advances on gender identity rights and the rights of Americans.'
— Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker
'OUR VIEW IS THAT YOU CAN'T COMPROMISE EQUALITY. The carefully minced words heard on the House floor today regarding protections for gays, lesbians and bisexuals were notable for the exclusion of those left behind—the transgendered and gender variant.
We are dismayed with ENDA as enacted and sincerely hope that House leadership and members will change their minds in the future—particularly given that it appears unlikely that the Senate or the current administration will support this Act—which would more appropriately be referred to as 'UNDA'—the 'Unequal Non-Discrimination Act.''
— Illinois Gender Advocates
'WHILE PFLAG APPLAUDS CONGRESS for tackling GLBT workplace discrimination and is grateful for our stalwart champions of equality on Capitol Hill, it is clear that all of us must commit to more Congressional education on gender identity.'
— Jody Huckaby, PFLAG National executive director
'ALTHOUGH WE NOTE THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE of today's vote, we must also recognize the position of the majority of congressional Democrats who fought to move an inclusive bill forward. While we recognize incremental advances occur in civil rights legislation, these advances must be incremental for our entire community.'
— Jon Hoadley, National Stonewall Democrats executive director
'OUR FIGHT FOR EQUALITY WILL NOT BE WON OVERNIGHT. It will be won one step at a time, and we will not give up until we reach the finish line. This is a critical piece of legislation and a major step toward the finish line for all Americans.'
— Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign president
'AMERICANS SUPPORT FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY FOR ALL PEOPLE. It's time that Congress caught up with the American people and passes an inclusive ENDA.
— Tanya Clay House, People For the American Way director of public policy
'AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY WILL CONTINUE to fight for equal rights for every American, including our friends and family in the transgender community.'
— Howard Dean, Democratic National Committee Chairman
'MANY LESBIAN AND GAY PEOPLE WILL CELEBRATE the passage of this legislation, and it certainly reflects progress in the long march toward equality. However, Equality Federation remains steadfast in its opposition to the bill—not because of what it purports to do, but because of what it fails to do.'
— Equality Federation
'WE ARE DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED that House leadership decided to ignore the position of a vast majority of LGBT organizations, ignore the legal assessment that this bill may not even provide adequate protections for gays, lesbians and bisexuals, and ignore the fact that this vote might make it more difficult to persuade members of Congress to support a fully inclusive bill in the future. …This entire process has been painful, divisive and unnecessary. And worst of all, we went through all of this on behalf of a bill that the president has already said he would veto.'
— Matt Foreman, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director
'IRRATIONAL HATE OR FEAR HAVE NO PLACE IN OUR SOCIETY. If we truly believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, if we truly want to protect the most vulnerable in our society, if we continue to profess that all men are created equal, then we must work toward achieving the American Dream for all …not just for some.'
— Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
'ALL HR 3685 DOES IS PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION in the workplace. Because at the end of the day, everyone deserves the right to get up and go to work without fear of losing their job for who they are.'
— Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Cal.
'THIS HISTORY DAY MARKS TREMENDOUS PROGRESS in efforts to provide basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans. This long overdue bill makes it very clear that what matters in the workplace is competence and fairness—not sexual orientation.'
— Patrick Sammon, Log Cabin Republicans president
