Nancy Pelosi and the Impatience of ENDA Activists

If there was any indication that people in the progressive community want Congress to deal with the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) now, look no further than Netroots Nation. Here in Las Vegas, the annual progressive conference is in full stride, and on its last day, Rep. Nancy Pelosi held a question & answer session with the crowd.

Though the presentation was a bit pre-planned (the moderator is reading questions that were submitted ahead of time), I have to give some props to Netroots: the first question the Speaker was hit with was why the hell, given the promises made by leaders in the 111th Congress, has ENDA not received a vote in Congress.

(The moderator put it a bit more diplomatically.)

ENDA, in a nutshell, would make it illegal for workplaces to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Today, in more than 30 states, people can be fired solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, with no legal recourse. Boss doesn't like you because you love someone of the same gender? You're fired. Coworkers don't like you because you're transgender? You're fired. Want that promotion? Too bad, because if you're LGBT, in many places around the country you can be passed up because an employer doesn't like your sexual orientation or gender identity.

Pelosi's answer at Netroots Nation struck all the right chords. "It's almost embarrassing," she said, that we would have to pass something like ENDA in these times. Darn right. In fact, the only thing I can think of that's more embarrassing is having a Congress that could vote on the legislation, but keeps scapegoating.

Ultimately, Pelosi gave many of the lines that we've heard before over a delay on ENDA. 'It was next on my agenda, but then 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was pushed.' 'Making sure the bill is fully inclusive will take time.' 'We want to make sure we win this vote by more than a slim majority.'

And then Pelosi directly addressed the crowd. "Your impatience is justified."

That impatience continues to take the form in activism that is pushing the boundaries (in a good way, I think). Look to GetEqual and their stoppage of traffic on the Las Vegas strip earlier this week to protest ENDA's delay. Look at the wonderful coverage of votes in Congress provided by people like Jillian T. Weiss, who are making whip counts public and specifically calling out the legislators on the fence.

Pelosi, while recognizing that activists should be impatient, didn't really do much during her answer to give activists comfort. She struck the right tones -- "We're against discrimination against anybody ... this bill will be inclusive," and "Let's get the drumbeat going," among other lines -- but she didn't give a specific answer for why the bill hasn't received a vote in Congress yet. Moreover, she said one thing that I think is fundamentally wrong.

"Some of the opposition (to ENDA) comes from those on the business community," Rep. Pelosi told the crowd. But if that's the case, then why do so many of the leading Fortune 500 companies have anti-discrimination policies that are inclusive of both sexual orientation and gender identity?

Maybe I'm just being cynical. Check out the video below (courtesy of the fantastic Jeremy Hooper at Good As You), and let us know what your thoughts are. Yes, Pelosi's heart is in the right place with her answer. But for activists who want a vote on what is probably the most important piece of LGBT legislation in the hopper, it just seems like Pelosi's heart is not quite enough.

Photo credit: house.gov