In Discussing ENDA, Harry Reid Says His Niece Is Gay

Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid says he has a niece who is gay and that her sexuality should not affect her employment.

Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, is a long-time supporter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would outlaw workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“My niece is a lesbian,” Reid told The Huffington Post on Thursday. “She's a school teacher. Her employment shouldn't be affected with that. We should have a law that says that, not just the good graces of wherever you work.”

Reid also recalled being lobbied to support ENDA in the 1990s by the president of the Human Rights Campaign.

“He said to me, 'You're a moderate guy. If you came out for ENDA, we could pick up a lot more votes,” Reid said. “I said he's probably right. So I agreed to cosponsor that, and as a result, we were able to put that on the floor. It failed by one vote, basically.”