The House recently passed a bill to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which prohibits businesses with 15 or more employees from discriminating against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation, passed the House on Nov. 7. The legislation includes an exemption for armed forces, private clubs and religious organizations, reported The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

"We have made history today by passing legislation that ensures discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong and will not be tolerated," said Rob Andrews (D-1-N.J.), the House subcommittee chairman on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, in a written statement, as reported by SHRM.

The bill did garner some bipartisan support — 35 Republicans joined with Democrats to vote in favor of ENDA. 

A total of 20 states have passed legislation to end workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. According to data released by Out & Equal (as reported by The New York Times), 82 percent of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their written equal-employment opportunity or primary nondiscrimination policy.

The House-passed measure does not contain a controversial provision, originally included in the proposal, to offer transgender and gender identity protection for workers.

SHRM reports that while a Senate version has not been introduced, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) said he would introduce legislation soon. The White House, however, has indicated that President Bush would veto the measure  

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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