Frank Reiterates Support for Sexual Orientation-Only ENDA

Responding to criticism over the House Democratic leadership's potential decision to move forward with a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act that would cover sexual orientation but not gender identity, Rep. Barney Frank said Thursday that opponents of the bill "can’t handle the truth, unfortunately." In remarks at a press conference on Capitol Hill Thursday morning, Frank said that a sexual orientation-only ENDA could pass in the House with a margin of 15 or 20 votes but that a transgender-inclusive bill wouldn't even garner an up-or-down vote on the floor of the chamber due to the lack of political support.

Since Frank and his colleagues, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, decided a few weeks ago to champion a sexual orientation-only bill instead of the original trans-inclusive measure, the LGBT movement has been roiled by debate, with many advocacy groups calling for an ENDA that would include both sexual orientation and gender identity -- or nothing at all. Frank, one of the bill's cosponsors, forcefully disagreed.

"Should we kill the whole bill?" he asked rhetorically. "I have a very profound difference with people who say we should…. I do not think you deny people protection if you can. A sexual orientation–only bill would be very helpful."

Frank asserted that pulling the sexual orientation–only bill would send a bad message to the country and would only hurt the LGBT rights movement. "The headline will be, 'Pelosi pulls gay rights bill from agenda,' that they didn't have enough votes to pass it. I don't understand how that helps us."

And echoing remarks he made on the House floor days earlier, Frank decried the personal nature of some of the criticism he's faced in recent weeks. His support for the sexual orientation–only bill, he said, has been "treated as a betrayal, as a failure of moral will."

"The anger is counterproductive," he added.

He applauded, however, the recent lobbying efforts on behalf of the trans-inclusive bill. But he couldn't help but rue what he called their late arrival to the game. "Where were they when we needed them?" he asked, citing several times in the last year when it was announced that ENDA would be a legislative priority in 2007. "I'm glad to see the activity now -- I just wish it was not so late."

Frank said he believes the sexual orientation–only ENDA will pass in the House before the end of the year, and then it will head to the Senate, where support for the measure is more uncertain. He said he supports going back and adding gender identity to the bill in the future when there's more support for it politically. (The Advocate)