`Do you want men dressed as women teaching your kids?'
Conservatives gear up for nasty fight against LGBT worker rights bill
`Do you want men dressed as women teaching your kids?'
Chicago, IL — On Capitol Hill this week, supporters of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) are counting heads in the House to see if they can get this landmark anti-discrimination bill passed.
And on the other side, conservatives and incumbent house members facing tough re-election fights are hoping for defeat.
ENDA would prohibit employers from discriminating against gay and transgender employees.
Conservatives are pulling out the stereotypes to scare voters and lawmakers into defeating it.
The Traditional Values Coalition has dedicated an entire website,endahurtskids.com, to the fight.
"Do you want men dressed as women teaching your kids?" the headline on the homepage reads. "Obama and Democrats in Congress are trying to make that happen Right Now."
Rep. Barney Frank is the bill's primary sponsor and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn of South Carolina is a key supporter. Clyburn is black and he says he knows how it feels to be treated differently.
"I feel just as strongly about [the ENDA bill] as I felt back in the '60s about civil rights legislation," Clyburn told the Washington Post.
The legislation is explicitly mentioned as a civil rights priority on theWhite House website: "President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity."
However, a lot of lawmakers just don't want to stick their necks out in an election year.
"I don't think they should bring it up," Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina told the Post.
He said moderates have "walked the plank a lot around here on things that never go anywhere in the Senate" and that they're not going to bite this time around.
The Traditional Values Coalition's website predicts cultural Armageddon if ENDA passes.
"If ENDA becomes law, she-male activists and cross-dressing teachers will hold your child hostage in the classroom," they warn. "ENDA is the lesbian, gay, and transgender movement's `holy grail.'"
`Do you want men dressed as women teaching your kids?'
Chicago, IL — On Capitol Hill this week, supporters of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) are counting heads in the House to see if they can get this landmark anti-discrimination bill passed.
And on the other side, conservatives and incumbent house members facing tough re-election fights are hoping for defeat.
ENDA would prohibit employers from discriminating against gay and transgender employees.
Conservatives are pulling out the stereotypes to scare voters and lawmakers into defeating it.
The Traditional Values Coalition has dedicated an entire website,endahurtskids.com, to the fight.
"Do you want men dressed as women teaching your kids?" the headline on the homepage reads. "Obama and Democrats in Congress are trying to make that happen Right Now."
Rep. Barney Frank is the bill's primary sponsor and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn of South Carolina is a key supporter. Clyburn is black and he says he knows how it feels to be treated differently.
"I feel just as strongly about [the ENDA bill] as I felt back in the '60s about civil rights legislation," Clyburn told the Washington Post.
The legislation is explicitly mentioned as a civil rights priority on theWhite House website: "President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity."
However, a lot of lawmakers just don't want to stick their necks out in an election year.
"I don't think they should bring it up," Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina told the Post.
He said moderates have "walked the plank a lot around here on things that never go anywhere in the Senate" and that they're not going to bite this time around.
The Traditional Values Coalition's website predicts cultural Armageddon if ENDA passes.
"If ENDA becomes law, she-male activists and cross-dressing teachers will hold your child hostage in the classroom," they warn. "ENDA is the lesbian, gay, and transgender movement's `holy grail.'"
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