Comments left of Sen. Harry Reid’s Facebook page illustrate why we need ENDA. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) reiterated his longstanding support for passage of the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Wednesday with a personal note. “My niece is a lesbian,” Reid told reporters. “She’s a school teacher. Her employment shouldn’t be affected with that. [...]

Republican Gabriel Gomez and Democrat Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA05) each won their U.S. Senate primaries in Massachusetts on Tuesday.  While Rep. Markey is well known as a longtime, rock-solid supporter of LGBT equality, Mr. Gomez has remained vague about his views beyond his support for the freedom to marry.  It’s time for Mr. Gomez to start [...]

One year ago last week, on April 11, 2012, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told LGBT advocates that President Obama wasn’t prepared “at this time” to issue an executive order that would protect LGBT workers who are employed by federal contractors from workplace discrimination. Such an order would “make it illegal for companies with [...]

The three Massachusetts Republicans vying for the Bay State’s open U.S. Senate seat held their first debate on Wednesday night.  Candidates Mike Sullivan, Dan Winslow and Gabriel Gomez were asked to give their views on two marriage-related questions: Is the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) constitutional? Should states have the right to maintain discriminatory [...]

Well, if the President is serious about his commitment to equality, as he mentioned in his inaugural address (“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law“), he may want to take a look at that non-discrimination executive order again. After all, Ashley Furniture is [...]

Here’s a reminder  that while marriage equality is blooming all over, there’s some serious unfinished business in states where legislatures have no interest in protecting LGBT taxpaying citizens from employment discrimination. (Washington Blade): Faced with living in a state with no non-discrimination law protecting them, LGBT activists demonstrated in three Tennessee cities on Sunday to [...]

“We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples.” That is a snippet of the landmark language approved by the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee related to support for the right [...]

Well, considering 1) the polls are solidly moving in favor of the right for gays and lesbians to marry, and 2) the fact that the plank in the Democratic platform is fairly symbolic, and 3) the President already came out in support of marriage equality, you’d think this was a given. Washington Blade: A Democratic National [...]

Dr. Scout at the Network for LGBT Health Equity at The Fenway Institute recently interviewed Chai Feldblum, head of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), at the White House Pride Reception. They discussed employment discrimination and what LGBTs can do about it at the current time, since it’s perfectly legal to fire someone for [...]

Duke student and activist Jacob Tobia plans to deliver a letter to the President at tomorrow’s White House LGBT Pride Reception asking for him to pick up the pen and sign an executive order barring discrimination by federal contractors against LGBTs; he won’t be the only invitee making that request at this event. This past [...]