The most prominent political issuewithin the LGBT community in 2007 was the approach to passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). A decision to replace an inclusive
ENDA with a substitute bill that withheld legal protections on the basis of gender identity drew sharp debate among LGBT advocates.
To inform our work, Stonewall Democrats used the
Stonewall Census to survey member attitudes regarding their preferred approach to passing employment protections on the federal level. Members were asked to place a high, moderate or low priority to passage of key provisions of ENDA, including if gender identity protections should be part of the bill – especially if it would delay passage. To ensure the accuracy of opinions, Stonewall Democrats utilized
questions identical to those consistently used by media outlets and advocacy organizations in recent years.
85% of respondents maintained a HIGH priority for the inclusion of gender identity protections in ENDA.
70% of respondents maintained that Stonewall Democrats should work towards passage of the original, inclusive ENDA - even if that approach would delay final passage of the bill.
