Robert Smith: “I rise today to give my support for the Employment Non Discrimination Act of 2001 or ENDA. I believe that every American…”

“I rise today to give my support for the Employment Non Discrimination Act of 2001 or ENDA. I believe that every American should have the opportunity to work and should not be denied that opportunity for jobs they are qualified to fill. In both my private and public life I have hired without regard to sexual orientation and have found both areas to be enriched by this decision. ENDA would provide basic protection against job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Civil Rights progress over the years has slowly extended protection against discrimination in the workplace based on race, gender, national origin, age, religion and disability. It is time now to extend these protections to cover sexual orientation, the next logical step to achieve equality of opportunity in the workplace. As a Republican, I do not believe that this discrimination in the workplace can be categorized as a conservative/liberal issue.”