Politics
5 Senate Democrats not sponsoring ENDA
Supporters looking for 60 votes as vote expected this summer
Amid renewed attention to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a total of five Democratic senators have so far declined to co-sponsor the legislation.
During a Pride reception at the White House last week, President Obama gave ENDA a boost when he said “we need to get” the legislation passed. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) broke with tradition when he signed as a co-sponsor of the bill immediately afterward.
Just last week, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), a conservative Democrat who voted against expanded background checks for gun sales, signed on as a co-sponsor. The office of Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) confirmed to the Washington Blade on Monday he’ll also sign on in support of the bill.
But five Democrats in the Senate still aren’t co-sponsors of the legislation: Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.).
A spokesperson for Sen. Nelson said he is traveling today and unavailable for immediate comment. The other four offices didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, said there’s “simply no valid excuse” for any Democratic senator to withhold their support for ENDA as a full Senate vote on the legislation approaches.
“If any of these senators vote ‘no’ on ENDA, they will betray our American values of fairness and equal opportunity and they will turn their backs on hardworking gay and transgender citizens who simply want a fair shot to hold a job in a really tough economy,” Almeida said.
Four of these Democrats — Nelson, Rockefeller, Johnson, Pryor — voted for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal in 2010. Manchin didn’t vote on the bill, but later said withholding the vote was “wrong.”
Their support could be needed quickly if, as promised by Reid in his Pride statement, the floor vote on ENDA comes up “soon.” Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is expected to report the legislation out of committee this summer.
Almeida called for action from the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to persuade these five senators to declare their support for ENDA and make clear a vote in favor of the bill is “a bedrock principle for all Democrats in good standing.”
“It would also be great if President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and the White House legislative team got in the game by aggressively lobbying these hold-out Democrats in the weeks and months to come,” Almeida said. “In fact, President Obama could set a good example for the hold-out Democrats by signing his long overdue executive order, which is not ‘hypothetical’ no matter what some staffers want to pretend.”
Notably, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is an ENDA co-sponsor even though she’s one of three U.S. Senate Democrats who have not come out in support of marriage equality. The other two are Manchin and Pryor.
Assuming all 54 senators in the Democratic caucus vote for ENDA, a total of six additional Republicans would be needed for 60 votes to end the likely filibuster of the legislation on the Senate floor. Two Republicans are already co-sponsors: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).
The additional Republicans who are seen as the most likely supporters are Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jeffery Chiesa (R-N.J.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.).
Portman came out for marriage equality earlier this year after learning his son is gay. During an interview at a Buzzfeed Brews Event in May, Portman said he “totally support[s] the concept” of ENDA, but has concerns about “litigation that could result” and “religious freedom.”
Jeffrey Sadosky, a Portman spokesperson, expressed a similar sentiment on the Ohio Republican’s views on ENDA in an email to the Blade on Monday.
“Senator Portman is strongly opposed to discrimination and is looking at proposals to address it,” Sadosky said. “He is concerned about excessive reliance on litigation as a tool for social change, and will continue to review the most recent version of ENDA.”
Murkowski and Burr were two Republicans who voted for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal in 2010. But while Murkowski voted for cloture and to pass the measure, Burr only voted for final passage and withheld his vote for cloture.
Chiesa comes from a traditionally “blue” state that already has a statewide law prohibiting LGBT employment non-discrimination. He hasn’t yet articulated a position on ENDA.
Flake, a relative newcomer to the Senate, is also contender to support ENDA because as U.S. House member, he voted for a version of the legislation that came to the House floor in 2007 (although he also voted for the motion to recommit, which would have killed the bill). Still, Flake recently took an anti-gay position when he said he’d abandon comprehensive immigration reform if a provision for bi-national same-sex couples was included in the bill.
Heller is also a relative newcomer to the Senate, but also in play because he represents a moderate state and twice voted in favor of LGBT-inclusive reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Gregory Angelo, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, said his organization has been working to lobby Republicans — moderates and conservatives alike — to support ENDA. He declined to comment on the content of the talks.
“In the realm of lobbying, the Log Cabin Republicans mantra is to leave no stone unturned,” Angelo said. “I’m constantly on the Hill outlining our reasons of support for ENDA, both among Republican members of the Senate and members of the House. This isn’t about going after moderates but about making the case to common-sense conservatives that no one should be fired from their job because they happen to be gay.”
Another issue is the upcoming special election for the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts on June 25. The winner of that race will likely vote on ENDA instead of the interim U.S. Sen. William Maurice “Mo” Cowan.
Both candidates have expressed support for the bill. But the Democratic candidate, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), is a co-sponsor of ENDA in the House. The Republican candidate, Gabriel Gomez, came out in support of ENDA in a statement provided to the Washington Blade by his campaign last week.
Congress
McBride, other US lawmakers travel to Denmark
Trump’s demand for Greenland’s annexation overshadowed trip
Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride is among the 11 members of Congress who traveled to Denmark over the past weekend amid President Donald Trump’s continued calls for the U.S. to take control of Greenland.
McBride, the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, traveled to Copenhagen, the Danish capital, with U.S. Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), and Sarah Jacobs (D-Calif.). The lawmakers met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic MP Pipaluk Lynge, among others.
“I’m grateful to Sen. Coons for his leadership in bringing together a bipartisan, bicameral delegation to reaffirm our support in Congress for our NATO ally, Denmark,” said McBride in a press release that detailed the trip. “Delaware understands that our security and prosperity depend on strong partnerships rooted in mutual respect, sovereignty, and self-determination. At a time of growing global instability, this trip could not be more poignant.”
Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark with a population of less than 60,000 people. Trump maintains the U.S. needs to control the mineral-rich island in the Arctic Ocean between Europe and North America because of national security.
The Associated Press notes thousands of people on Saturday in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, protested against Trump. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is among those who have criticized Trump over his suggestion the U.S. would impose tariffs against countries that do not support U.S. annexation of Greenland.
A poll that Sermitsiaq, a Greenlandic newspaper, and Berlingske, a Danish newspaper, commissioned last January indicates 85 percent do not want Greenland to become part of the U.S. The pro-independence Demokraatit party won parliamentary elections that took place on March 12, 2025.
“At this critical juncture for our countries, our message was clear as members of Congress: we value the U.S.-Denmark partnership, the NATO alliance, and the right of Greenlanders to self-determination,” said McBride on Sunday in a Facebook post that contained pictures of her and her fellow lawmakers meeting with their Danish and Greenlandic counterparts.
Congress
Van Hollen speaks at ‘ICE Out for Good’ protest in D.C.
ICE agent killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is among those who spoke at an “ICE Out for Good” protest that took place outside U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s headquarters in D.C. on Tuesday.
The protest took place six days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis.
Good left behind her wife and three children.
(Video by Michael K. Lavers)
Congress
Advocates say MTG bill threatens trans youth, families, and doctors
The “Protect Children’s Innocence” Act passed in the House
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has a long history of targeting the transgender community as part of her political agenda. Now, after announcing her resignation from the U.S. House of Representatives, attempting to take away trans rights may be the last thing she does in her official capacity.
The proposed legislation, dubbed “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” is among the most extreme anti-trans measures to move through Congress. It would put doctors in jail for up to 10 years if they provide gender-affirming care to minors — including prescribing hormone replacement therapy to adolescents or puberty blockers to younger children. The bill also aims to halt gender-affirming surgeries for minors, though those procedures are rare.
Greene herself described the bill on X, saying if passed, “it would make it a Class C felony to trans a child under 18.”
According to KFF, a nonpartisan source for health policy research, polling, and journalism, 27 states have enacted policies limiting youth access to gender-affirming care. Roughly half of all trans youth ages 13–17 live in a state with such restrictions, and 24 states impose professional or legal penalties on health care practitioners who provide that care.
Greene has repeatedly introduced the bill since 2021, the year she entered Congress, but it failed to advance. Now, in exchange for her support for the National Defense Authorization Act, the legislation reached the House floor for the first time.
According to the 19th, U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first trans member of Congress, rebuked Republicans on the Capitol steps Wednesday for advancing anti-trans legislation while allowing Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire — a move expected to raise health care costs for millions of Americans.
“They would rather have us focus in and debate a misunderstood and vulnerable one percent of the population, instead of focusing in on the fact that they are raiding everyone’s health care,” McBride said. “They are obsessed with trans people … they are consumed with this.”
Polling suggests the public largely opposes criminalizing gender-affirming care.
A recent survey by the Human Rights Campaign and Global Strategy Group found that 73 percent of voters in U.S. House battleground districts oppose laws that would jail doctors or parents for providing transition-related care. Additionally, 77 percent oppose forcing trans people off medically recommended medication. Nearly seven in 10 Americans said politicians are not informed enough to make decisions about medical care for trans youth.
The bill passed the House and now heads to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.
According to reporting by Erin Reed of Erin In The Morning, three Democrats — U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas and Don Davis of North Carolina — crossed party lines to vote in favor of the felony ban, joining 213 Republicans. A total of 207 Democrats voted against the bill, while three lawmakers from both parties abstained.
Advocates and lawmakers warned the bill is dangerous and unprecedented during a multi-organizational press call Tuesday. Leaders from the Human Rights Campaign and the Trevor Project joined U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Dr. Kenneth Haller, and parents of trans youth to discuss the potential impact of restrictive policies like Greene’s — particularly in contrast to President Donald Trump’s leniency toward certain criminals, with more than 1,500 pardons issued this year.
“Our MAGA GOP government has pardoned drug traffickers. They’ve pardoned people who tried to overthrow the government on January 6, but now they want to put pediatricians and parents into a jail cell for caring for their kids,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “No one asked for Marjorie Taylor Greene or Dan Crenshaw or any politician to be in their doctor’s office, and they should mind their own business.”
Balint, co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, questioned why medical decisions are being made by lawmakers with no clinical expertise.
“Parents and doctors already have to worry about state laws banning care for their kids, and this bill would introduce the risk of federal criminal prosecution,” Balint said. “We’re talking about jail time. We’re talking about locking people up for basic medical care, care that is evidence-based, age-appropriate and life-saving.”
“These are decisions that should be made by doctors and parents and those kids that need this gender-affirming care, not certainly by Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
Haller, an emeritus professor of pediatrics at St. Louis University School of Medicine, described the legislation as rooted in ideology rather than medicine.
“It is not science, it is just blind ideology,” Haller said.
“The doctor tells you that as parents, as well as the doctor themselves, could be convicted of a felony and be sentenced up to 10 years in prison just for pursuing a course of action that will give your child their only chance for a happy and healthy future,” he added. “It is not in the state’s best interests, and certainly not in the interests of us, the citizens of this country, to interfere with medical decisions that people make about their own bodies and their own lives.”
Haller’s sentiment is echoed by doctors across the country.
The American Medical Association, the nation’s largest organization that represents doctors across the country in various parts of medicine has a longstanding support for gender-affirming care.
“The AMA supports public and private health insurance coverage for treatment of gender dysphoria and opposes the denial of health insurance based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” their website reads.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, senior vice president of public engagement campaigns at the Trevor Project, agreed.
“In Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill [it] even goes so far as to criminalize and throw a parent in jail for this,” Heng-Lehtinen said. “Medical decisions should be between patients, families, and their doctors.”
Rachel Gonzalez, a parent of a transgender teen and LGBTQ advocate, said the bill would harm families trying to act in their children’s best interests.
“No politician should be in any doctor’s office or in our living room making private health care decisions — especially not Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Gonzalez said. “My daughter and no trans youth should ever be used as a political pawn.”
Other LGBTQ rights activists also condemned the legislation.
Tyler Hack, executive director of the Christopher Street Project, called the bill “an abominable attack on the transgender community.”
“Marjorie Taylor Greene’s last-ditch effort to bring her 3-times failed bill to a vote is an abominable attack on the transgender community and further cements a Congressional career defined by hate and bigotry,” they said. “We are counting down the days until she’s off Capitol Hill — but as the bill goes to the floor this week, our leaders must stand up one last time to her BS and protect the safety of queer kids and medical providers. Full stop.”
Hack added that “healthcare is a right, not a privilege” in the U.S., and this attack on trans healthcare is an attack on queer rights altogether.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene has no place in deciding what care is necessary,” Hack added. “This is another attempt to legislate trans and queer people out of existence while peddling an agenda rooted in pseudoscience and extremism.”
U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, also denounced the legislation.
“This bill is the most extreme anti-transgender legislation to ever pass through the House of Representatives and a direct attack on the rights of parents to work with their children and their doctors to provide them with the medical care they need,” Takano said. “This bill is beyond cruel and its passage will forever be a stain on the institution of the United States Congress.”
The bill is unlikely to advance in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes to pass.

