[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[April 24, 1997]
[Pages 479-480]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Legislation
April 24, 1997

    Today Vice President Gore and I met with a bipartisan delegation 
from Congress, representing the lead House and Senate sponsors of the 
``Employment Non-Discrimination Act'' (``ENDA'')--an important piece of 
civil rights legislation which would extend basic employment 
discrimination protections to gay and lesbian Americans. At our meeting, 
I underscored my strong support of the bill, which will soon be 
reintroduced in Congress, and our intention to work hard for its 
passage.
    As I said in my State of the Union Address this January, we must 
never, ever believe that our diversity is a weakness, for it is our 
greatest strength. People on every continent can look to us and see the 
reflection of their own great potential, and they always will, as long 
as we strive to give all of our citizens an opportunity to achieve their 
own greatness. We're not there yet, and that is why ENDA is so 
important. It is about the right of each individual in America to be 
judged on their merits and abilities and to be allowed to contribute to 
society without facing unfair discrimination on account of sexual 
orientation. It is about our ongoing fight against bigotry and 
intolerance, in our country and in our hearts.
    I applaud the bipartisan efforts of Senators Jeffords, Kennedy, and 
Lieberman and Congressmen Shays and Frank to make the ``Employment Non-
Discrimination Act'' the law. I also thank the members of the Human 
Rights Campaign and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, whose 
executive directors joined in our meeting, for their early support and 
hard work on behalf of this bill. It failed to win passage by only one 
vote in the Senate last year. My administration worked hard for its 
passage then, and we will continue our efforts until it becomes law.
    Discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation is 
currently legal in 41 States. Most Americans don't know that men and 
women in those States may be fired from their jobs solely because of 
their sexual orientation, even when it is has no bearing on their job 
performance. Those who face this kind of job discrimination have no 
legal recourse in either our State or Federal courts. This is wrong.
    Individuals should not be denied a job on the basis of something 
that has no relationship to their ability to perform their work. Sadly, 
as the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee has documented during 
hearings held in the last Congress, this kind of job discrimination is 
not rare.
    The ``Employment Non-Discrimination Act'' is careful to apply 
certain exemptions. It provides

[[Page 480]]

an exemption for small businesses, the Armed Forces, and religious 
organizations, including schools and other educational institutions that 
are substantially controlled or supported by religious organizations. 
This later provision respects the deeply held religious beliefs of many 
Americans. The bill specifically prohibits preferential treatment on the 
basis of sexual orientation, including quotas. It does not require 
employers to provide special benefits.
    As I indicated when I originally announced my support of this 
legislation in October of 1995, the bill in its current form appears to 
answer all the legitimate objections previously raised against it, while 
ensuring that Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation, can 
find and keep their jobs based on their ability and the quality of their 
work. It is designed to protect the rights of all Americans to 
participate in the job market without fear of unfair discrimination. I 
support it, and I urge all Americans to do so. And I urge Congress to 
pass it expeditiously.