Employment Non-Discrimination Act facts for kids
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (often called ENDA) is a suggested law in the United States Congress. If this law passes, it would make it illegal for bosses to fire someone just because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. This law would not apply to churches or other religious groups. It is also known as H.R. 2015 and was first suggested on April 24, 2007.
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What is ENDA?
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, is a bill that aims to stop unfair treatment in jobs. It wants to make sure people cannot be fired or not hired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This means protecting people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender from discrimination at work.
Why is ENDA Important?
Many people believe ENDA is important because it would give equal chances to everyone in the workplace. Currently, some employees who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender might face unfair treatment. This law would help protect them in places where there are no state laws to do so.
History of ENDA
The idea for a law to protect gay workers first came up in the U.S. Congress in 1974. However, none of these early ideas became a law. In 1996, a similar law almost passed, but it failed in the Senate by just one vote.
Including Transgender People
The ENDA bill suggested in 2007 was special because it was the first time "gender identity" was included. Previous versions of the bill only talked about "sexual orientation". This new bill would protect transgender people, who are an important part of the GLBT community.
In August 2004, the Human Rights Campaign, a big LGBT group that supports the bill, said they would only back it if it included transgender people. Also, in 1999, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was the first gay civil rights group to stop supporting ENDA because it did not include transgender people. They worked hard to get support for a bill that would protect everyone, including transgender people. They helped write the current "trans-inclusive" bill.
States with Similar Laws
Even though ENDA is a federal law (for the whole country), some states already have their own laws to prevent job discrimination. These states include:
- California
- Connecticut
- the District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
These states have laws that stop unfair treatment based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Images for kids
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People supporting the "United ENDA" group protest at San Francisco City Hall in 2007.
See also
In Spanish: Proyecto de Ley de No Discriminación en el Empleo para niños
