Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the ENDA Bill

Did you watch President Obama’s State of the Union speech last night?

I…did not. (Although I did give American Idol a shot because I heard Neil Patrick Harris was going to be a guest judge. It was legen…wait for it…dary.) But this morning I read a bunch of news stories about it.

Sounded like the State of the Union offered a lot of hope for job seekers. Very good news.

Interestingly enough, Obama also made reference to repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. This is the policy that forbids military officials from asking the sexual orientation of anyone in the military, but also disallows gay men and women to come out while they’re enlisted.

President Obama

Now, here’s where I think HR has it right–or at least on the right path. Companies have to announce that they are equal opportunity companies, regardless of a job candidate’s race, religion, or sex. While sexual orientation isn’t a protected class–yet–many states have policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

An HR law site, www.hrhero.com, reports that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is currently being introduced to Congress. This would ”prohibit employers from making decisions about hiring, firing, promoting or compensating an employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity.” (Read the post here.) 

After all, business is business. Who cares who a person dates during his or her personal time if the job gets done while on the clock?

I’m going to turn it back to you: What’s your opinion on the proposed ENDA bill? Do you think sexual orientation should be a protected class against discrimination in the workplace?