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October 18, 2007
The ENDA-Kucinich victory strategy
Posted by: Chris
The gay-specific, trans-free version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed the House Education & Labor Committee today by a vote of 27-21.
It was the first time ENDA had ever been voted on in the House since its introduction way back in 1994, and according to committee chair George Miller (D-Calif.), it was even the first time ENDA or is predecessor gay civil rights bills had ever come up for a vote in the House, since their introduction way back in 1974.
Still, some expected that first House vote to go the extra mile and include workplace protection for transsexuals, cross-dressers and other transgender workers. And while most politicians are used to the political realities of compromise and incremental progress, there are those in Congress who are as idealistic and (accordingly) ineffective as the "United ENDA" groups that have demanded a "trans-or-bust" strategy.
I'm talking about Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who has also mounted (for the second time) a vanity run for the presidency. It's only too telling that Kucinich was one of the few gay rights supporters who actually voted with Republicans against real-world workplace protections for gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans -- because it did not also protect transgender workers.
There's your ally and symbolic champion, United ENDA: a completely ineffective congressman whose presidential candidacy is a total joke. May your cause enjoy a greater likelihood of success than his.
For a complete news summary on ENDA, click or bookmark: gaynewswatch.com/enda
For a complete news summary on transgender rights, click or bookmark: gaynewswatch.com/transgender
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Comments
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This is completely unfair. Kucinich is not mounting a "vanity" run. As noted in a Nation editorial this week, Kucinih's presence in the Dem debates means that issues that would normally be ignored by the "front runners" are brought up.Similarly, his vote on ENDA is one I support. While you may be willing to leave members of our community behind, I am not.
The comments to this entry are closed.
adamblast on Oct 18, 2007 4:08:17 PM:
While I must like Kucinich a heckuvalot more than you--I'd even consider voting for him--I can't disgree that his vote against ENDA is just what you suggest: a sterling example of ineffectual political purity, and a telling reminder of how unrealistic goals will defeat reasonable progress.
Personally, it feels like a bit of a betrayal. I thought he favored gay rights. Turns out what he really favors is being loved by (as John Reed would say) the activist left of the left of the left.