Hordes of people crammed into the House yesterday to listen as Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) and friends reintroduced the ever-controversial Employment Non-Discrimination Act. As you know, the act will bar employers from firing or refusing to hire based on sexuality or gender identity. While some states have similar laws, this federal plan would finally equalize the country - forty-four states still allow trans discrimination, thirty-three can legally spit in gay eyes.

Many conservatives, however, see ENDA as a sinister sissie plot to take over America. Frank - the first openly gay Representative - made clear that the Act's not about a take over, but about full equality. He even drawled:

Opponents of this sometimes say this it's some deep, dark plot to make some of them like some of us. Let me say at the outset that my indifference to whether a lot of these people think well of me or not cannot be overestimated. This has nothing to do with seeking anybody's approval. It is seeking people's right to be able to get a job, to get promoted, to be treated on the job solely on job performance.

Barney Frank, will you marry us?

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The Employment Non-Discrimination Act stands as one of the most contested legislative proposals in American history. The Act will make it illegal for employers to fire or refuse to hire gay, lesbian and transgendered employees. Though it's been squashed in the past, openly gay representative Barney Frank and his allies will reintroduce the controversial measure this afternoon. The HRC-endorsed press release reads:

On Tuesday, April 24, at 1:00 p.m., Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass.; Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; and Chris Shays, R-Conn., will introduce the bipartisan Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill addresses discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The release goes on to explain that it's still legal to fire gays in thrity-three states and trangendered persons get the short end of the stick in forty-four. Meanwhile, the proposed law's Iowan couson isn't as potent as some people would prefer, largely for political reasons. The Des Moines Register reports that the bill will allow employers to enforce gendered dress codes, thus placating hesitant Republicans.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Democrat from Des Moines, said Monday night that the proposal could be debated as soon as Wednesday.

The deciding factor could be a provision that allows employers to maintain dress codes as they see appropriate, McCarthy said. That change could help some Republicans support the idea, which would create enough support for the proposal to pass.

"If that's something that folks need on their side of the aisle in order for them to unlock their people, then that's something we're willing to accept," McCarthy said.

Poor trannies. Always getting the short end of the stick...

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Everyone knows the power of film. One need only look at all of the (mostly) positive attention Brokeback Mountain has been giving the gay community. We’d hate to think that the only reason so much attention the media has been giving transgenders lately is due to something other than a certain Desperate Housewife donning a wig and some make-up to play a pre-op in TransAmerica. But, alas, movies are great attention-getters.

Sure we knew that trannies faced discrimination in the world, but we weren’t aware that these hard-working men and women find it hard to just get a job with the man.

Marilyn Robinson turned tricks for almost 20 years before she decided to look for legal employment. She got her GED and, eventually, a job at an insurance company. The first six months went OK, but then a supervisor "thought he had the right to call me RuPaul," she told us. "And I look nothing like RuPaul." Suddenly the women in the office refused to use the bathroom if Robinson was around. She left within a month.

And you thought your 9-5er was bad. Some trannies can’t even get their uppity co-workers to share a bathroom let alone a printer.

Transjobless [San Francisco Bay Guardian]