Gay? U.S. House Says
That's Okay
By Deb Price,
alternet.org from the Web, November 12, 2007
In a respectful and moving gesture,
Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the gavel so that she could personally proclaim that
the U.S. House had just voted in favor of a national ban on anti-gay job
discrimination.
"On this vote, the yeas are 235, the nays are 184. The bill is passed,"
said the beaming speaker, whose pantsuit was a gay-friendly lavender.
It had taken more than three decades for the House to pass the bill now known as
the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA), succeeding after its razor-thin
defeat in the Senate in 1996.
The nearly all-day extravaganza on Nov. 7 was stuffed with surprises -- who
could have imagined a lawmaker explaining "gaydar" on the House floor? --
lessons and tears. One disappointment -- that transgender people were not
included -- is a reminder of the hard work ahead.
Snapshots of the day I'll cherish:
-- That's Congressman Teddy Bear to you: Gay Rep. Barney Frank of
Massachusetts is a legislative bulldog. But he choked back tears in
pleading with colleagues to help him protect workers "afraid they'll lose their
job in a gas station if someone finds out who they love. ... Don't send me out
of here having failed to help those people."
-- Beacon of hope: Lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin continued
battling for transgender inclusion, declaring, "I believe that those who will be
left behind by this bill deserve to hear on this House floor that you are not
forgotten and our job will not be finished until you, too, share fully in the
American dream." Seven Democrats cast protest votes against the bill
because it didn't cover gender identity, and others, including Pelosi, said they
wished there had been enough support to include it.
-- Civil rights warriors: Of the many black lawmakers who spoke out
against anti-gay bias, the legendary John Lewis of Georgia was especially
stirring: "I, for one, fought too long and too hard to end discrimination
based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination against our gay
and lesbian brothers and sisters ... The time is always right to do right."
-- "The beauty is in the mix": That eloquent description by Pelosi of what
makes her hometown of San Francisco special was the real message of the day in
which the House embraced America's gay workers. Rep. Susan Davis of
California told a sweet story about a male-to-female transgender landscape
architect, while Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington talked of Dave Kopay, his
"boyhood hero," who helped the University of Washington Huskies reach the 1964
Rose Bowl, went on to play pro ball with such teams as the Detroit Lions and
Washington Redskins, then came out as gay.
-- GOP does not spell anti-gay: Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York
challenged Republicans to finally be on the right side of a civil rights vote:
"Speak up now. This is your moment." Thirty-five -- nearly one out
of five of the Republicans who voted -- did just that. That's a promising
start. And as GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio declared, "The fundamental
American right to earn a living should be a principle around which everyone in
this chamber, regardless of party or ideology, should be eager to embrace."
Yes, Madam Speaker, the beauty of the American workforce is in the mix.
Deb Price of The Detroit News writes the first nationally
syndicated column on gay issues.
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