• ELIXHER
• On November 5, 2013

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would ban employers from firing, refusing to hire or discriminating against workers or job applicants based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, made some serious headway yesterday.

For the first time since it was originally introduced in 1996, the U.S. Senate took an important step toward passing ENDA, voting in favor of cloture — a procedural move intended to overcome any attempted filibuster — in a bipartisan vote of 61-30. (A filibuster is an informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, by offering numerous procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions.)

Following Monday’s vote for cloture, the Senate is expected to take a final vote on ENDA after additional testimony is filed, likely on Wednesday.

Workplace discrimination is a sad reality for many LGBT Americans, especially LGBT people of color. Injustice at Every Turn, a report that took a look at Black respondents in the national transgender discrimination survey, found that 46% percent of Black transgender people were harassed, 15% were physically assaulted, and 13% were sexually assaulted at work.

It is still legal in 29 states to discriminate based on sexual orientation and in 33 states to do so based on gender identity.

Watch: Workplace Discrimination: A Bisexual Worker’s Story

“The prevailing logic has remained that if I am out as a bisexual woman, I must be asking for something: discrimination, harassment, or even sexual assault.” — Faith Cheltenham

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