Senator Pat Toomey is being targeted by LGBT rights groups for a potential vote in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
The bill, which is scheduled for a vote on Monday evening, aims to add sexual orientation to a list of traits against which employers are not permitted to discriminate. The law already protects individuals based on sex, race, age, religion, nationality and disability.
All of the Senate Democrats, including Bob Casey (D-PA), have voiced support for the bill, but they are joined by only three Republicans at this time. With Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) announcing his support earlier Monday morning, it appears as though the bill will have the 60 votes necessary to get through the upper house without threat of filibuster.
State Rep Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia), the first openly gay man elected to the General Assembly, is trying to shore up that vote by putting Senator Toomey in the hot seat.
In an open letter published on the Huffington Post, Sims calls on Toomey not only to support the bill, but to sign on as a co-sponsor.
“I believe that there is no single piece of civil rights legislation in existence that is more impactful to members of the LGBT community than a fully inclusive ENDA,” Sims wrote.
When asked for comment by PoliticsPA, a spokesman for Toomey said only that the Senator is “undecided.” It is this apparent indecision that Sims and other activists are trying to capitalize on.
In the past, Toomey has not been a champion of gay rights. However, there is reason to believe that he has some flexibility on the issue. In June, the Washington Post pinned Toomey as the fourth most likely Republican Senator to embrace gay marriage, citing public opinion in Pa. as being a central factor.
“Senator Toomey believes that the tradition of marriage is sacred and is best defined as between a man and a woman,” a Toomey spokesperson said to the Post. “He does realize that there are many Americans who feel strongly about this issue and support marriage for same-sex couples. The input of Pennsylvanians is therefore valued when Congress reviews legislation addressing same-sex marriage.”
Although it now looks likely the bill will cruise through the Senate, Republicans may not even allow a vote in the House.
Despite general opposition from House Republicans, there are some like Charlie Dent (R-PA) who support the EDNA and believe it has a chance. Dent was the focus of a story published by the Washington Post on Monday about the prospects of the EDNA in the House.
“I believe the Speaker [Boehner] should allow a vote on this bill,” Dent told the Post. “I believe that the American public wants to make sure people are not discriminated against, based on race, religion, or sexual orientation.”
Boehner has expressed no inclination to schedule the vote, and has called the changes to ENDA “frivolous.”
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6 Responses
It’s ignorant to call Sims a one trick pony and it makes it obvious that you know nothing about what Sims has done since he’s been in office. He’s been one of the strongest voices raised on education in the state, speaking out against the Governor’s abysmal record on education and deplorable policies, especially in relation to the children of the citizens of Philadelphia who he was elected to represent. His office has also held several events and expo’s I believe to assist and inform senior citizens. Of course Sims is also going to work on gay rights as well he should. What an unfair thing to say of a young and energetic hardworking legislator who whose heart is in the right place–with the concerns of all of his constituents.
Kathleen – might I suggest actually reading the Pennsylvania Constitution before commenting on its supposed contents? I’ve noticed a pattern that those who most often reference the US and PA Constitutions are often the ones who know the least about what’s actually in them and that’s a shame.
Please allow me to help you so we can avoid this issue in the future. The Pennsylvania Constitution is readily available in its entirety online. Article VI, Section 3 lists the oath for legislators as follows: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth and that I will discharge the
duties of my office with fidelity.”
Oddly enough, there’s no mention of a “job description” in the Commonwealth’s constitution. There are some qualifications in Article II (The Legislature) Section 5, and Section 1 of the same describes the power of the legislature. While Article V, Section 2 outlines the duties of the governor, I can’t seem to find a description of the duties of individual legislators, presumably because it does not exist.
It does, however, describe how members are elected (Article II, Section 2) and how they should be compensated (Article II, Section 8), so it seems that Rep. Sims is well within his rights to accept his taxpayer-funded compensation to represent his GLBT constituents, who, it should be noted, make up an exceptionally large portion of his district.
Larry – that’s a logical fallacy of the false choice. It is possible to work on many issues at once and human beings have evolved impressive powers of multi-tasking.
That is unfair. His district probably has the largest gay population in the state. Would you say the same thing to some of “in god we trust” and evangelicals out there? Or trial lawyer and union activists for that matter?
I would suggest Sims read his oath of office and job description. He was not elected nor does he have the right to take tax dollars as his salary so as to exclusively represent gays.
Sims really is a one-trick pony. All he talks about are gay issues. These social issues are luxuries that can only be addressed after we fix our transportation and pension woes. Fix those, and then further your social agenda.
Toomey has no reason to support this. His conservative base won’t like it if he does, and no liberal is going to vote for him over the Democrat who opposes him in 2016. Funny how the left portrays this as a vital civil rights issue but has no qualms about using it as political football.