The bipartisan introduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) today reflects the strong national consensus that workers should be evaluated on their merits, not sexual orientation or gender identity. As organizations that have, for decades, challenged LGBTQ workplace discrimination in the courts and worked for passage of inclusive non-discrimination laws at the local, state, and federal level, our commitment to the passage of a robust ENDA remains absolute and resolute. The continued need for this legislation is clear and it is of vital importance to LGBTQ people across the country.

Despite the remarkable progress cultural, political, and legal that LGBTQ people have made in recent years, there are currently 34 states that lack workplace non-discrimination laws that are fully inclusive of LGBTQ people. This patchwork of protection continues to leave LGBTQ people vulnerable to workplace discrimination. We hear the stories every day from our clients and the tens of thousands of LGBTQ people who contact LGBTQ legal organizations like ours every year. In a country that values fairness and equal treatment under the law, we believe the current situation is unacceptable.

We greatly appreciate the efforts of Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) in making a number of significant improvements to ENDA. These include removing language that would have reaffirmed the discriminatory and unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act.

While we applaud the progress that has been made, we stand united in expressing very grave concerns with the religious exemption in ENDA. It could provide religiously affiliated organizations far beyond houses of worship with a blank check to engage in employment discrimination against LGBTQ people. Some courts have said that even hospitals and universities may be able to claim the exemption; thus, it is possible that a religiously affiliated hospital could fire a transgender doctor or a religiously affiliated university could terminate a gay groundskeeper. It gives a stamp of legitimacy to LGBTQ discrimination that our civil rights laws have never given to discrimination based on an individual’s race, sex, national origin, age, or disability. This sweeping, unprecedented exemption undermines the core goal of ENDA by leaving too many jobs, and LGBTQ workers, outside the scope of its protections.

We are fully committed to continuing to work for the passage of ENDA and an appropriate exemption for religious organizations. We remain hopeful that our allies in Congress will agree that singling out LGBTQ people alone for this kind of unequal and unfair exemption to otherwise applicable non-discrimination laws has no place in this historic legislation.

American Civil Liberties Union

Lambda Legal

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Transgender Law Center