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Reid sets up Senate vote Monday for ENDA

Advocates confident 60 votes are present to overcome filibuster

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) set up a Senate vote on ENDA for Monday (Blade file photo by Michael Key).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) set up a Senate vote on ENDA for Monday (Blade file photo by Michael Key).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) officially set up a Monday vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act by filing cloture for the bill on the Senate floor Thursday evening.

Reid made the announcement on the Senate floor with little fanfare before he moved on to other business and adjourned the Senate until Monday at 2 pm.

Faiz Shakir, a Reid spokesperson, estimated the cloture vote on ENDA will take place around 5:45 on Monday and a final vote will take place sometime on Wednesday.

By filing cloture on the bill, Reid starts for the time period for when cloture vote will take place to enable the bill to move to the floor. After filing for cloture, the vote will take place after an intervening day and one hour pass. For a successful vote on cloture, 60 votes are required in the Senate.

After cloture is invoked, up to 30 hours of debate can take place before a vote happens on final passage, which requires a simple majority. But the vote for final passage could take place sooner if both parties agree to give up the time.

Confidence persists there are at least 60 votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on ENDA. All 55 members of the Senate Democratic caucus support ENDA, and there are two Republican original co-sponsors: Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). Assuming the two Republicans who voted in committee for ENDA, Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vote for cloture as well, only one more vote is required to move forward with ENDA.

Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, expressed confidence in a statement sufficient votes are in place to pass ENDA.

“After months of lobbying and meetings with the overwhelming majority of Republican Senate offices, we’re confident we have the 60 votes to defeat any attempted filibuster,” Almeida said. “We’re keeping the pressure up with phone-banking in key states to help thousands of registered voters patch-through and urge Yes votes from key Senators in Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It’s long past time the Senate approved LGBT workplace protections.”

During a taped interview on The Rachel Maddow Show that aired Wednesday, Reid expressed confidence there would be enough votes to invoke cloture on ENDA. Noting that all 55 Democrats are on board, Reid predicted “we’re going to get a least five Republicans” to reach 60 votes.

Other Republicans seen as possible “yes” votes on ENDA are Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). However, Flake this week told the Blade he’s voting “no” because of the transgender protections in the current version of the bill.

The Human Rights Campaign, and the $2.5 million Americans for Workplace Opportunity campaign it helped organize, is also touting its action in anticipation of an ENDA vote.

According to HRC, 30 field organizers in New Hampshire, West Virginia, Ohio, Arizona, Arkansas, Nevada and Pennsylvania have generated over 200,000 constituent contacts in favor of ENDA. Additionally, grassroots organizers have held 150 events in these critical states generating over 108,000 emails, 78,000 postcards, 13,000 calls and 800 letters, HRC says.

But anti-gay forces are also being outspoken against ENDA as the vote approaches.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, railed against the LGBT legislation in a statement, saying the bill “threatens the free market, undermines employers’ rights, and violates the free exercise of religion.”

“The vast majority of employers would not consider an employee’s sexual orientation relevant or even want to know about an employee’s sex life,” Perkins said. “However, ENDA would transform the workplace into an environment in which certain sexual lifestyles are given a special status by the federal government and religious expression is suppressed.”

The vote will be historic in many ways. It will the first time the either chamber of Congress has considered a version of ENDA that includes transgender workers. It’s also the first time the Senate has considered ENDA since 1996, when the legislation failed by one vote.

Amendments to ENDA are expected. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) told the Blade, “There’ll be some amendments, yeah.” Harkin added he doesn’t know what the nature of the amendments will be.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), chief sponsor of ENDA, also expressed excitement over the possibility the Senate approving legislation to end job bias against LGBT workers.

“We have a chance next week to pass a landmark civil rights bill that will enshrine in law an issue of fundamental fairness: no one should be fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Merkley said. “Discrimination is just plain wrong. Everyone should have the freedom to work hard and earn a living. I am pleased that the U.S. Senate will consider this fundamental issue of equality under the law.”

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Hungary

New Hungarian prime minister takes office

Péter Magyar’s party defeated anti-LGBTQ Viktor Orbán last month

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Péter Magyar votes in Budapest, Hungary on April 12, 2026. He has been sworn in as the country's new prime minister. (Screen capture via APT/YouTube)

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office on Saturday.

Magyar’s center-right Tisza party on April 12 defeated then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition. Vice President JD Vance less than a week before the election traveled to Budapest, the Hungarian capital, and urged Hungarians to support Orbán.

Orbán had been in office since 2010. He and his government faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.

The European Commission in 2022 sued Hungary, which is a member of the EU, over the country’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda law. The European Union’s top court, the EU Court of Justice, on April 21 struck down the statute.

The EU while Orbán was office withheld upwards of €35 billion ($41.26) in funds to Hungary in response to concerns over corruption, rule of law, and other issues.

Hungarian lawmakers in March 2025 passed a bill that banned Pride events and allowed authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them. MPs later amended the Hungarian constitution to ban public LGBTQ events.

Upwards of 100,000 people last June defied the ban and marched in Budapest’s annual Pride parade.

“Congratulations to [Péter Magyar] on becoming prime minister of Hungary,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X.

“This Europe Day, our hearts are in Budapest,” she added. “The hope and promise of renewal is a powerful signal in these challenging times.”

“We have important work ahead of us,” noted von der Leyen. “For Hungary and for Europe, we are moving forward together.”

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Comings & Goings

Whitman-Walker honors Rep. Sarah McBride

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U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected]

Congratulations to Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-Del.) on being honored with this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health. Amy Nelson, senior director of Legal Services, said, “Congresswoman Sarah McBride is working to make healthcare accessible to all, and this award recognizes her support of healthcare as a human right. Our legal program supports families facing unprecedented challenges to stay healthy and safe – families that Congresswoman McBride champions with a deep understanding of the issues they face and the legislative expertise of how to support them.”  

McBride, in a press release, said, “I am honored to accept this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health — an organization that has spent 40 years doing vital work to ensure every person can access the dignity of care. In the wealthiest and most developed nation on earth, the ability to receive care should not be a matter of luck—it should be the law of the land. I am proud to be recognized as a partner in this work and to support Whitman-Walker Health in their mission to build a healthier society for all.”

Congratulations also to Wes Drummond who will join Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as its third artistic director. Managing Director Joe Gfaller said, “This is an exciting moment of growth for Clear Space as we welcome Wes to join our remarkable team. I am confident he will be an excellent partner as we work with our entire staff, board, and committed team of volunteers, to ensure Clear Space can achieve its full potential in pursuit of our mission to unite and enrich our community through every production on stage, and every arts-based learning program we offer throughout our community.” 

On accepting the position Drummond said, “I’m honored to join Clear Space Theatre Company as artistic director, and beyond excited for what we’re about to create together. Clear Space has established itself as a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of coastal Delaware, and I feel incredibly fortunate to step into this next chapter alongside such a passionate and dedicated team. Rehoboth Beach is a place defined by creativity and community, and I look forward to listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships across the region in the months ahead. My vision is to help Clear Space continue to grow as a bold, forward-thinking, cultural force, that champions fearless storytelling.”

Wes Drummond

Drummond served in leadership roles at Duluth Playhouse in Duluth, Minn., from 2021 to 2026, including four years as executive director followed by one year as executive producing artistic director, guiding the organization through a period of significant transformation and stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a director, he has worked extensively in New York City, Chicago, and at regional theaters across the country, directing both musical theater and plays with a focus on storytelling that bridges classical works with contemporary perspectives. He has collaborated with leading figures in the industry, including Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus, and Tony-nominated director Michael Greif. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Wes earned his MFA in directing, Penn State University, where he studied under Tony-nominated director, Susan H. Schulman. 

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Virginia

Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan

Voters narrowly approved new congressional districts last month

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Virginia Supreme Court (Photo by sainaniritu/Bigstock)

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Democrat-backed redistricting plan that voters approved last month.

Ten of 11 of Virginia’s congressional districts favor Democrats in the plan that passed by a 51-48 vote margin in last month’s referendum.

The Human Rights Campaign PAC is among the groups that support it. The court by a 4-3 majority invalidated the referendum results.

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