News
Polis, Miller seek House hearing on ENDA
Lawmakers say chamber should act “in meaningful way” against LGBT workplace discrimination
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) seeks a House hearing on ENDA (Washington Blade photo by Damien Salas)
In an attempt to build off the momentum of a successful Senate committee vote, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and the lead House Democrat on workplace issues are calling for a House hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
In an open letter dated July 11, Polis, who’s gay and lead sponsor of ENDA in the U.S. House, and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Education & the Workforce Committee, seek a hearing in the Republican-controlled House on ENDA. The letter is addressed to Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.).
“It is time for this committee and this Congress to act in a meaningful way and ensure that LGBT individuals are not denied the right to work and earn a living because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Polis and Miller write.
The letter comes on the heels of a successful vote on ENDA in the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee in which 12 Democrats were joined by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.,) Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in voting in favor of the bill.
Polis and Miller emphasize that a House hearing on ENDA would capitalize on the momentum that the measure enjoys after the committee vote in the Senate.
“The vote sends a strong message that employment decisions should be based on merit and not prejudice,” Polis and Miller write. “The House must seize the moment and stand on the side of fairness and equality by holding a hearing that will kick start the process of moving this important legislation through this body.”
The last time the House held a hearing on ENDA was in 2009. Democrats at the time were in control of the chamber and Miller was chair of the committee, which was then known as the House Education & Labor Committee.
Kline’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment. The Minnesota lawmaker voted against a version of the legislation in 2007 and he spoke out against ENDA during the hearing in 2009.
“H.R. 3017 represents a significant departure from longstanding civil rights law,” Kline said at the time. “It creates an entirely new protected class that is vaguely defined and often subjective.”
Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, said Polis and Miller “should be commended” for acting quickly in the aftermath of the Senate committee vote on ENDA.
But in the event that Kline is unresponsive, Almeida invited Polis and Miller to ask Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.,) a committee member with experience on ENDA, to hold a hearing on the legislation in the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee, which Andrews co-chairs.
“The Democrats could set that hearing without Republican approval for September or October, and they could call two or three LGBT victims of workplace discrimination and some pro-LGBT business leaders to testify about how ENDA is good for business,” Almeida said. “I’d love to see the Democrats invite Exxon’s CEO to testify and explain why they refuse to adopt the same LGBT fairness policies that competitors like Chevron have adopted.”
Such a hearing, Almeida said, would lay the foundation for a successful discharge petition on ENDA in the House and a successful Senate floor vote between 60 and 70 votes.
The complete letter from Polis and Miller follows:
July 11, 2013
The Honorable John Kline
Chairman
Committee on Education and the Workforce
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515Dear Chairman Kline:
We write to respectfully request that you hold a committee hearing as soon as possible on H.R. 1755, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), legislation that would end employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and make clear that Americans in the workplace should be judged on whether they can do the job.
We believe that the strong bipartisan vote by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on June 10in favor of ENDA reflects the overwhelming consensus that LGBT Americans should have the freedom to work and be full participants in our economy. The vote sends a strong message that employment decisions should be based on merit and not prejudice. The House must seize the moment and stand on the side of fairness and equality by holding a hearing that will kick start the process of moving this important legislation through this body.
As you may know, H.R. 1755 enjoys bipartisan support in the House and currently has 177 cosponsors. The legislation would prohibit employers from firing, refusing to hire, or discriminating against those employed or seeking employment, on the basis of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. Such protections are already in place prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability. More than 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies already extend workplace protections based on sexual orientation and more than one-third on the basis of gender identity.
Chairman Kline, business leaders, advocates, and an overwhelming supermajority of Americans – nearly 75 percent – support prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It is time for this Committee and this Congress to act in a meaningful way and ensure that LGBT individuals are not denied the right to work and earn a living because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
We look forward to working with you on this and many other issues important to our nation.
Sincerely,
GEORGE MILLER
Senior Democratic Member
JARED POLIS
Member of Congress
World Pride 2025
D.C. liquor board extends drinking hours for WorldPride
Gay bars, other liquor-serving establishments can stay open 24 hours
D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, which regulates liquor sales for the city’s bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and other establishments licensed to serve alcoholic beverages, has approved extended hours for alcohol service and sales during the days when most WorldPride events will be held in the nation’s capital.
In a May 2 announcement, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, which works with the board, said the extended liquor serving and sales hours for WorldPride will take place beginning Friday, May 30, through 4 a.m. Monday, June 9.
Although the official schedule for WorldPride events shows the events will take place May 17-June 8, most of the large events, including a two-day Pride street festival, parade, and concert, were expected to take place between May 30 and June 8.
According to the ABCA announcement and an ABCA spokesperson, liquor servicing establishments with the appropriate license can stay open for 24 hours and serve alcoholic beverages from 6 a.m. through the day and evening until 4 a.m., with no liquor sales allowed from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. during the May 30-June 9 period.
The ABCA announcement says liquor serving establishments must apply for the extended hours option and pay a $100 registration fee by a deadline on May 27.
Sources familiar with the liquor board have said the board has for many years approved the extension of liquor serving and sales hours for important events and for certain holidays such as New Year’s Eve.
At the time it approved the extended hours for WorldPride the liquor board also approved extended hours during the time when games for a World Cup soccer tournament will be held in the city on June 18, June 22, and June 26.
It couldn’t immediately be determined how many of D.C.’s 22 LGBTQ bars plan to apply for the extended drinking hours. David Perruzza, owner of the Adams Morgan gay bar Pitchers and its adjoining lesbian bar A League of Her Own, said he will apply for the 4 a.m. extended hours option but he does not intend to keep the two bars open for the full 23 hours.
Under the city’s current alcoholic beverage regulations, licensed liquor serving establishments may serve alcoholic beverages until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.
The Vatican
Executive director of LGBTQ Catholic group to travel to Rome for conclave
Marianne Duddy-Burke met Pope Francis in 2023
The executive director of a group that represents LGBTQ Catholics will travel to Rome next week for the papal conclave that starts on May 7.
DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke on Thursday told the Washington Blade she will arrive in Rome on May 6. Duddy-Burke said she plans to spend time in St. Peter’s Square “and have conversations with people.”
“I will wear Dignity insignia, have rainbow flags,” she said.
Pope Francis died on April 21. His funeral took place five days later.
The Vatican’s tone on LGBTQ and intersex issues softened under the Argentine-born pope’s papacy, even though church teachings on homosexuality did not change.
Francis, among other things, described laws that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations as “unjust” and supported civil unions for gays and lesbians. Transgender people were among those who greeted Francis’s coffin at Rome’s St. Mary Major Basilica before his burial on April 26.
Duddy-Burke and two others from the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics met with Francis in October 2023 during a meeting that focused on the Catholic Church’s future. Duddy-Burke noted Francis “invited” her and her colleagues as his “special guests for the audience and then had a conversation with him afterwards.”
“For me the sort of visibility that he (Francis) brought to our community and to our concerns feels irreversible,” said Duddy-Burke. “He empowered so many people and so many new ministries.”
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu — the archbishop of Kinshasa in Congo who has described homosexuality as an “abomination” — is among the cardinals who are reportedly in the running to succeed Francis.
“I really don’t know,” said Duddy-Burke when the Blade asked her who the next pope will be. “Of course, I am hoping and praying hard that it will be someone who will continue to lead the church on responsiveness of human need and greater inclusivity.”
“What happens in that room is such a mystery,” she added.
World Pride 2025
Episcopal bishop to speak at WorldPride human rights conference
Trump demanded apology from Mariann Edgar Budde over post-Inauguration sermon
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde is among those who are scheduled to speak at the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference that will take place from June 4-6.
Budde, who is the bishop of the Diocese of Washington, in January urged President Donald Trump “to have mercy” on LGBTQ people, immigrants, and others “who are scared right now” during a post-Inauguration service that he and Vice President JD Vance attended at the Washington National Cathedral. Trump criticized Budde’s comments and demanded an apology.
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde speaks at the Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2025. (PBS NewsHour clip)
A press release the Washington Blade received notes Icelandic Industries Minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, UK Black Pride founder Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, and Bob the Drag Queen are among those who are also expected to participate in the conference.
The conference will take place at the JW Marriott (1331 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) and registration is open here.
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