The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) on Friday called on the U.S. Senate to reject the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
ENDA, which was first proposed in 1994,
seeks workplace protections based on sexual orientation and gender
identity. The measure cleared a Senate committee with the help of
three Republicans in July and a full floor vote is expected on
Monday.
(Related: Senate
vote on gay protections bill ENDA set for Monday.)
But NOM warned in a blog post that the
bill “is nothing other than a Trojan horse built to attack the
foundational institution of marriage between a man and a woman.”
“This disastrous piece of legislation
is modeled on various local and state non-discrimination statutes
that have already been used as tools in advancing the same-sex
'marriage' agenda around the nation,” NOM
President Brian Brown wrote on his group's website. “In the
wake of Justice Kennedy's misguided opinion in the DOMA case (Windsor
v. U.S.), it is certain that this federal ENDA bill will become a
fulcrum used by same-sex 'marriage' activists to try to foist a
marriage redefinition regime on the entire country.”
Brown incorrectly stated: “Under the
law, individuals holding the common-sense belief that marriage is
about giving kids a mom and a dad would be subject to punishment.
Expressions of support for true marriage in the workplace would no
longer be a fundamental right, but discriminatory, bigoted and an
actionable offense!”
Brown called on members to contact 8
Republican senators, including John McCain of Arizona, Rob Portman of
Ohio, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Jeff Flake
of Arizona, Dean Heller of Nevada, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and
John Barrasso of Wyoming.
A sample voicemail instructs callers to
tell the senators that ENDA “will put [marriage equality opponents]
in even more danger of being labeled bigots or haters by those who
disagree with them.”
(Related: NOM's
Brian Brown: Federal marriage amendment needed to reign in judges.)