The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, is coming up (hopefully) for a vote in the House and the Senate. ENDA has called for banning employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 2003, ENDA defined sexual orientation as homosexuality, bisexuality, and heterosexuality. Recently, Trans advocate groups have partnered up with other Gay Rights groups to try and pass a version of ENDA that would add “gender identity” and “gender expression” to the list.

In the past, Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts was the lead sponsor for ENDA, but with groups calling for the addition of “gender identity” and “gender expression” Senator Kennedy seems to be having second thoughts about sponsoring ENDA.

Why the sudden change of heart? Why back out now? ENDA has been on the table since the ’70′s, way before it was “cool” to support the cause. Now you want to back out of it? We don’t deserve to be treated equally under the law?

You stand for human rights, but you back away when a group of people is suffering because it doesn’t fit within the societal constructs set forth by a majority. You back away when the people who need defending are too different than you. It’s alright to defend same-sex marriage or people who love those of the same sex because you’ll be considered a saviour and it’ll make you progressive, but defending transgender people will just make you too liberal? Will allowing “gender identity” and “gender expression” tear at the moral fabric of our country?

Our nation was founded on Liberty. Our nation was founded on the belief that everyone deserved the same freedoms, not a select few, not most, but all. If we deprive even a small portion of our population the rights and freedoms that others have, we are not doing our country, our Constitution, all of the great people that fought and continue to fight for our country, justice. If one citizen of our country is deprived of life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness, then we all are.

You may not agree with how we live our lives and that’s ok. You don’t have to. But at least acknowledge that we exist and that we deserve the same as everyone else.