As Reid Becomes ENDA Cosponsor, LGBT Activists Arrested at Boehner's Office

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Thursday he'll become the 50th cosponsor to the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

"No one should face discrimination in their workplace based on sexual orientation," the Nevada Democrat said in a statement to The Huffington Post. "It's time to make fairness the law of the land. That is why I am co-sponsoring this legislation and I will do everything I can to ensure that it passes the Senate."

President Obama also name-checked ENDA Thursday, at the White House's annual LGBT Pride Month reception in Washington, D.C. Obama lauded recent victories for LGBT Americans in his speech, but noted that there's more work to do, including passing ENDA.

Across the aisle at House Speaker John Boehner's D.C. office, eight LGBT activists were arrested Thursday as they protested the speaker's opposition to ENDA.

"We are somebody! We deserve full equality!" chanted the protesters before they were arrested by police, according to CNN.

The activists, associated with the LGBT direct action group GetEqual, told CNN they were picketing Boehner's office to raise awareness of the need for ENDA or an executive order from the president that bans workplace discrimination by federal contractors.

Trending stories

Joe Biden has tied the record for most LGBTQ+ judges confirmed in federal courts

Out and About with Karan Soni

Plastique Tiara reaches 4M followers—close to surpassing Trixie Mattel

Your Lovable Trans Auntie asks, "Where do we go from here?"

Broadway bound: The best hotels in NYC’s Theater District for every type of traveler

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

​'Naked Gun' trailer: Liam Neeson dons drag, reveals strawberry panties​

Cowboys & Queens U.S. tour by Jane Hilton: A modern American dream

Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources

Beyond Wonderland's accepting & unifying rave culture is needed more than ever

The Charles is Pacific Grove's new LGBTQ+ hotel

Dylan Efron dishes on his sexy back arch & Speedo pics: 'That's what I'm good at!'

Tracy Chapman's debut album turns 35: Watch these iconic performances

How climate disasters hurt mental health in young people

When Lady Gaga met Chappell Roan, she made sure to tell her this

Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring

Ranking NWSL teams by how gay the name is

Discover the power of Wellness in your life

Matt Bomer reveals his favorite 'Fellow Travelers' sex scene with Jonathan Bailey

Robert Irwin is stripping down & rocking tiny briefs in new underwear campaign

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report

Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes

Peaches Christ says she's been 'retraumatized' by police investigating drag icon Heklina's death

All 6 rogue Mississippi cops got long prison sentences in 'Goon Squad' torture of 2 Black men

Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times

• 0
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8

"We are here today because there are currently no federal workplace protections for LGBT folks in the United States of America, which we believe is wrong," Ohio resident and Iraq war veteran Sean Watkins told CNN. "If you live in a state where there are no protections, you can literally be fired for being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender."