Politics
Advocates see momentum for ENDA, other bills
Anti-bullying measure, marriage-related bills also on tap
Rea Carey of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said she wants action on comprehensive immigration reform. (Photo by Kathy Plate)
As lawmakers return from August recess, advocates are anticipating movement on pro-LGBT legislation in the Senate during the upcoming weeks, although the Employment Non-Discrimination Act appears to have the most momentum.
The long-pursued legislation to bar anti-LGBT job bias passed out of committee in July on a bipartisan basis and supporters of the bill are expecting a vote sometime this fall.
Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, said ENDA is the legislative focus for the organization as well as for the multi-group Americans for Workplace Opportunity campaign it formed after the panel vote.
“Obviously the congressional calendar has many agenda items but we fully expect to see a Senate vote on ENDA in the fall and we’re working with our partners in the Americans for Workplace Opportunity campaign to build support for this critical bill,” Cole-Schwartz said.
But when ENDA will come up in the Senate this fall remains unclear. The office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), hasn’t responded to multiple requests from the Blade to comment on the timing for an ENDA floor vote since the bill was reported out of committee. Reid has previously pledged in a Pride statement this year to bring up the legislation “soon.”
Allison Preiss, spokesperson for the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, echoed remarks from HRC by saying panel Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is hoping a vote would take place this fall, but wasn’t more specific.
“Chairman Harkin is also optimistic that this fall, the Senate will consider the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which passed the HELP Committee on a bipartisan basis and includes for the first time protections against discrimination based not only on sexual orientation but on gender identity as well,” Preiss said.
Christian Berle, legislative director for Freedom to Work, said the time has come for a Senate floor vote on ENDA because the organization believes that sufficient lobbying has occurred to reach the 60-vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster.
“Based on Freedom to Work’s outreach to Senate Republicans since ENDA passed out of the HELP Committee, we are confident that we have the 60 votes necessary to advance and pass this critical legislation,” Berle said. “It is now time for Senator Reid to keep his six-and-a-half year old commitment to bring ENDA to the floor of the Senate as soon as possible.”
Moreover, Berle said holding the Senate vote on ENDA as soon as possible is necessary to generate momentum to move the legislation in the Republican-controlled House, where passage of ENDA will be challenging to say the least. Two options that have been floated are attaching ENDA to a larger vehicle bill or a discharge petition.
“The sooner we pass ENDA out of the Senate, the sooner we can begin a robust campaign to get ENDA through the House of Representatives and on the president’s desk,” Berle said. “Whether we attach ENDA to a spending bill in the Senate or launch a discharge petition in the House, we know that we can only win on ENDA if we are willing to try.”
But ENDA isn’t the only piece of pro-LGBT legislation that is pending on the Senate calendar for a vote. The Senate HELP Committee has also reported out education reform legislation known as the Strengthening America’s Schools Act that includes anti-bullying measures known as the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
Shawn Gaylord, director of public policy for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, also said he’s expecting a vote on this legislation in the Senate in the fall.
“GLSEN anticipates ESEA reauthorization to gain momentum in mid to late fall, and our continued efforts to build bipartisan support in both chambers will ensure this LGBT-inclusive bill to be strongly positioned to move forward,” Gaylord said.
Preiss maintained that Harkin is committed to working for passage of the bill, which would reauthorize the Elementary & Secondary Education Act, as she touted the LGBT provisions in the bill.
“Chairman Harkin is committed to working with leadership on a path forward to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Committee-passed version of which contains a number of important anti-bullying provisions,” Preiss said.
Another LGBT-relevant bill that has been reported out of the committee is the Charlie Morgan Act, which would ensure veterans in same-sex marriages have access to certain spousal benefits.
It’s unclear if this legislation is still necessary now that the Supreme Court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and the Obama administration has said it would no longer enforce Title 38, which had barred gay veterans from receiving these benefits. Jeff Frank, a spokesperson for the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), said he doesn’t have any predictions about the bill.
Also on the docket is the fiscal year 2014 financial services appropriations bill. That legislation contains a provision inserted by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) that would prohibit LGBT discrimination in the juror selection process for federal courts.
Reid’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on when — if it all — these pro-LGBT measures would come up for a Senate floor vote.
Many other bills related to the federal government’s recognition of same-sex unions are also pending even in the wake of the Supreme Court decision against DOMA, although none besides the Charlie Morgan Act have yet to be approved by committee.
The most prominent among them is the Respect for Marriage Act, which was introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and would fully repeal DOMA. Advocates say that legislation to ensure married so gay couples can reap federal benefits of marriage that are still in question if they marry in one jurisdiction and move to a state that doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage. Among these benefits are Social Security benefits and veterans benefits.
A Senate Judiciary Committee aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has plans for action on the legislation in committee this fall.
“Chairman Leahy is committed to a full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which is why he is working with Sen. Feinstein on the Respect for Marriage Act,” the aide said. “We are in the process of pushing for quick implementation of the Windsor decision, and look forward to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill later this fall. After the hearing, the Chairman will consider moving legislation through the committee.”
Other pending pro-LGBT legislation before the Senate that hasn’t seen committee action is the Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act, which is sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and would bar discrimination against LGBT people in housing programs. Another bill sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) known as the Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act would ensure gay couples in civil unions won’t be taxed on employer-provided health benefits.
Even if these bills pass the Senate, it remains to be seen whether they can muster enough support to pass in the Republican-controlled House. But it’s not unprecedented. Earlier this year, under significant pressure from women’s advocates and other groups, the House passed reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act with protections for LGBT victims of domestic violence.
Bills in the House that currently lack Senate companions are the Social Security Equity Act, which would allow Social Security benefits to flow to gay couples; post-“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” legislation known as the Restore Honor to Service Members Act; and a bill to help LGBT homeless youth known as the Runaway & Homeless Youth Act. Another version of the Domestic Partnership Benefits & Obligations Act is expected to be introduced imminently by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.).
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, said while issues like Syria may dominate the discussions among lawmakers in the coming weeks, she still expects them to advance legislation to help LGBT people and other social justice causes.
“While the situation in Syria is understandably front and center for Congress — especially as putting our brave service members, including LGBT service members, in harm’s way is being considered — members of Congress must also simultaneously focus on vitally important domestic issues as they return from recess,” Carey said. “These include job and economic security issues such as the urgent passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and freedom and justice issues such as comprehensive and inclusive immigration reform.”
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.
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