Political Quotes

“Today I rise to call on the House to pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support. It is a bill with a simple premise: that people should be hired, fired, and assessed based on their capabilities and job performance, not on prejudice. It would take the commonsense step of extending Federal employment nondiscrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. I spent a decade working in economic development, and the research by Richard Florida and others is pretty clear. One of the prime drivers of economic growth is tolerance, and yet, in 29 States, it is legal to fire an employee because of sexual orientation. The rights granted in my State shouldn't end at our borders. Failure to act on this doesn't make economic sense; it doesn't make legislative sense; and it doesn't make moral sense. But I am not here just as an economic developer. I am here as someone whose faith dictates that I love and respect all people and live by the Golden Rule, and I am here as a dad of two little girls. I want my daughters to grow up in a country where discrimination is a thing of the past, where folks can't be treated differently because of their gender or who they love. It is time to pass ENDA. ____________________”