Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) defended the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act in Congress today against Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and other Republicans seeking to strip it from the Defense Authorization bill by sending it back to conference. Rep. Gohmert and his eloquent “rebuttals” below:

Reps. Frank, Baldwin and Nadler defending the hate crimes act below.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and others testified today before the House Education and Labor Committee in support of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Clips including opening statement by Chairman George Miller are below:

Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York introduced the “Respect For Marriage Act,” in the House today which seeks to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

At a Capitol Hill press conference, Nadler called the Respect for Marriage Act “the first step to overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and sending that ugly law into the history books where it belongs.”

“Our bill ensures that all married couples, including lawfully married same-sex couples, will have the same access to federal responsibilities and benefits, including critical programs like Social Security that are intended to ensure the stability and security of American families,” Nadler said.

The repeal legislation would only facilitate federal recognition of same-sex marriages — not civil unions or domestic partnerships. Additionally, the bill contains a “certainty provision” allowing married same-sex couples to receive the federal benefits of marriage even if they move to a state that doesn’t recognize their union.

Nadler said the task ahead in trying to overturn DOMA “is not easy” and that he expects opponents of repeal to try to keep DOMA on the books by “making false claims that our bill will force same-sex marriage on unwilling states.”

The bill has already garnered 90 co-sponsors, including Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo). Noticeably absent from the list is Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who believes the bill is not achievable in the short term.

Video from today’s press conference below:

Earlier this year Nadler introduced the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) which unfortunately has stalled pending larger immigration reform.

Barney Frank has just reintroduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and this time it includes gender-identity language. According to the Washington Blade, over 100 cosponsors  are already on board on with the measure, including lead sponsors Barney Frank (D-MA), IIeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), Michael Castle (R-DE), George Miller (D-CA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), John Conyers (D-MI), Todd Platts (R-PA), Rob Andrews (D-NJ), and Leonard Lance (R-NJ). From the HRC press release:

“Just like our friends, neighbors and coworkers, LGBT Americans work hard, provide for our families and contribute to our nation’s economy,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.  “We all share the challenges of today’s economic downturn, but our community also faces arbitrary discrimination in the workplace, simply because of who we are and who we love.  Congress must pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and ensure that all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, get a fair chance to succeed at work.”

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.  This bill would reflect the values, shared by the vast majority of Americans, that employment decisions should be based on a person’s qualifications and work ethic.

An estimated 85% of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their equal employment policies, and more than one-third also include gender identity.  More than 60 companies have joined the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness, a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  To view a list of the companies, visit: http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/06/enda-introduction-tomorrow-corporations-agree-fairness-is-good-business/

Two versions of ENDA were introduced back in 2007, the first with gender-identity language, the second without. The first bill, H.R. 2015 died in committee. The followup bill, H.R. 3685 passed the house 235 to 184, but many LGBT groups refused to support the second bill because of the exclusion gender-identity language.