Voices
ish or a woman or an individual
with a disability. That kind of
discrimination has no place in
our nation. And yet, right now, in
2013, in many states a person can
be fired simply for being lesbian,
gay, bisexual, or transgender.
As a result, millions of LGBT
Americans go to work every day
fearing that, without any warning,
they could lose their jobs — not because of anything they’ve done, but
simply because of who they are.
It’s offensive. It’s wrong. And
it needs to stop, because in the
United States of America, who
you are and who you love should
never be a fireable offense.
That’s why Congress needs to
pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, also known as
ENDA, which would provide strong
federal protections against discrimination, making it explicitly
illegal to fire someone because of
their sexual orientation or gender
identity. This bill has strong bipartisan support and the support
of a vast majority of Americans. It
ought to be the law of the land.
Americans ought to be judged
by one thing only in their workplaces: their ability to get their
jobs done. Does it make a difference if the firefighter who res-
BARACK
OBAMA
cues you is gay — or the accountant who does your taxes, or the
mechanic who fixes your car? If
someone works hard every day,
does everything he or she is asked,
is responsible and trustworthy
and a good colleague, that’s all
that should matter.
Business agrees. The majority of
Fortune 500 companies and small
businesses already have nondiscrimination policies that protect
LGBT employees. These companies
know that it’s both the right thing
to do and makes good economic
sense. They want to attract [