Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education & Labor Committee for its consideration of HR 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Co-sponsored by Representatives Barney Frank (D – MA), Deborah Pryce (R – OH), Tammy Baldwin (D – WI), and Christopher Shays (R –CT), this bipartisan legislation is aimed at protecting individuals from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The following can be attributed to Christopher Anders, senior legislative counsel for the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:

"Job opportunities and advancement should be based solely on an individual’s performance and qualifications, and not on sexual orientation or gender identity. This is America, where hard work, education, skills, and experience should be what determines our success in the job market. Unfortunately, far too often LGBT individuals end up on an unfair playing field, one on which people are judged by characteristics irrelevant to the job. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would provide basic fairness and equality in the workplace for all Americans. The ACLU strongly supports this legislation, and we urge the House of Representatives to do the same."

For more information, visit: http://www.aclu.org/enda