Richard Gephardt: “the Executive Order Mr. Hefley seeks to nullify is not about providing special status to gay and lesbian Americans in…”

“the Executive Order Mr. Hefley seeks to nullify is not about providing special status to gay and lesbian Americans in federal hiring and employment. It's simply about providing them with the same protections against discrimination that are already in place for other Americans who have suffered from discrimination. Complaints about the quality of public servants are unfortunately all too commonplace. Surely, this amendment will drive away many applicants from pubic service at a time when our challenges as a nation are too great to justify excluding even one qualified American from helping us solve these problems. Sexual orientation should not be considered in the hiring, promoting, or termination of an employee in the federal government. You would think that this would be something we could all agree on. But sadly, the supporters of this amendment are making a statement that they tolerate bigotry and they condone arbitrary firings. This is but the latest of several mean-spirited efforts by the Republican leadership against the gay and lesbian community. But the vast majority of Americans disagree with the Republican leadership. Seventy-five percent believe that gays and lesbians should have the same employment opportunities as all other Americans. That's all the Executive Order does, despite the protestations of its opponents. Why, when we have so much important work left to address over the next several weeks, are we considering this issue here today?”