White House Press Secretary Jay Carney
on Wednesday called on Congress to approve the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
ENDA seeks to prohibit workplace
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill cleared a critical hurdle in
the Senate on Monday. But House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican
from Ohio, reiterated his opposition on the same day.
(Related: Gay
protections bill ENDA clears cloture hurdle in Senate.)
In a 90-second video released Wednesday
by the White House, Carney says ENDA is good for business.
“The bill provides strong federal
protections against discrimination, making it explicitly illegal to
fire someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender,” Carney
says in the video. “It's hard to believe, but only 17 states
currently prohibits discrimination against LGBT Americans.”
“A majority of Fortune 500 companies
support employment non-discrimination policies and so do small
businesses. Because they know employment non-discrimination policies
are better for the bottom line, because it allows these companies to
attract the best and the brightest to their businesses.”
“Congress has the opportunity and
responsibility to act by passing ENDA, a fully inclusive ENDA,”
Carney says. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
On Sunday, President
Barack Obama reiterated his support for the bill in an op-ed
published in The Huffington Post.