ENDA the House Debate

Last night, after over five hours of debate, the House finally held a much-anticipated vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), comfortably passing it 235-184. While the Democractic leadership was quick to claim it as an historic victory, its key constituency on the issue appeared almost disappointed by the outcome. Matt Foreman, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, made no bones about his frustration, saying, "What should have been one of the most triumphant days in our movement's history is not." Like others in the homosexual movement, he realizes that the bill's isn't likely to survive a presidential veto--and even if it were, Foreman and others are still seething that the current version no longer contains special protections for transgenders. Throughout the night, several conservatives, including Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.)-an FRC True Bluer-tried desperately to hold the line on the bill. Rep. Souder, who was one of the most outspoken opponents, argued that religious rights shouldn't "be trumped by sexual 'rights'." He went on to call the bill a "disaster" that "invited litigation and set precedents we will regret." In the end, 25 Democrats were persuaded to vote against the bill, but 35 Republicans more than made up for it by joining the leftwing majority. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) promises to introduce it before year's end.

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As in the days of Noah....