(Washington D.C.)- U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) made the following floor statement in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act:

I rise in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

This day is long overdue. Freedom from discrimination in the workplace.  A simple concept really.  One should be judged by the quality of their work, not by the color of their skin, not by their age, not by their disability, and of course, not by their sexual orientation.

Thirty States continue to permit employers to discriminate against employees based solely on their sexual orientation.  It is vital that we adopt federal protections to end this unjust discrimination that affects millions of Americans.  The bill before the House today would extend the basic protections of the Civil Rights Act by prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

For all of my life, this country has been grappling with the issue of how to extend fundamental rights to every individual in our society.  We all know the profound impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, deny promotions or otherwise discriminate against employees based on race.  While the Civil Rights Act was controversial in the years leading up to its enactment, one of our country's proudest moments was the day President Johnson signed it into law.
I very much regret that the Bush Administration is threatening to veto this legislation.  Back in 1990, the first President Bush signed the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, which barred workplace discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities.  It is unfortunate that the current Bush Administration has chosen not to build on this progress.

But today is about progress.  Today we stand up for gay Americans and say it is long overdue that you have the protections needed in our Nation’s employment laws.  Tomorrow we continue to educate and outreach around the need to also prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

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