ENDA To Be Reintroduced In House

Rep. Barney Frank will reintroduce the trans-inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) this week. Metro Weekly's Chris Geidner reports that even Frank has no illusions about the bill's chances.

Although the bill is not expected to move forward in the House under the leadership of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Frank, talking with Metro Weekly on Sunday, March 27, says, "It's an organizing tool. Obviously, with the Republicans in power, you're not going to get the bill even considered." But, Frank -- the longest-serving out member of Congress -- says, "I'm going to be urging people to spend their time talking to those who have voted in the past for ENDA and are supportive of ENDA but where we're not certain they're still with us on the transgender issue."

Talking about the bill's movement -- or lack thereof -- in the 111th Congress, Frank says, "[W]e have work still to do and we have overwhelming -- over 90 percent -- support on the Democratic side for ENDA based on sexual orientation and we had, in the last Congress, about 30 Republicans that way. Unfortunately, there's a drop-off from that number to transgender, and this is a chance to work hard to sway those who are committed to ENDA to support the full transgender inclusion as well."

Frank predicts that "ENDA will pass before DOMA is repealed legislatively."

RELATED: A trans-exclusive version of ENDA strongly opposed by some major LGBT rights groups passed in the U.S. House in 2007. Last year an anti-gay Christianist group listed the 2010 introduction of ENDA as the "worst anti-Christian act of the year."