Gay Activists Hopeful on Job Bias Ban

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., asks a question a committee's hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this July 18, 2007 file photo. Frank, a leading proponent of a federal ban on job discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender workers and one of two openly gay members of Congress, expects the ban will win House approval in the coming weeks. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) (Susan Walsh - AP)

WASHINGTON -- Gay rights advocates expect Congress will soon move closer to approving a federal ban on job discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender workers.

Rep. Barney Frank, a leading proponent, predicts the ban will win House approval in coming weeks.

But he and other gay rights supporters are less optimistic about the fight ahead in the narrowly divided Senate, where they would need 60 votes _ rather than a simple majority _ to overcome anticipated GOP stall tactics, such as a filibuster.

"You don't know if anything can pass the Senate," said Frank, D-Mass., one of two openly gay members of Congress. "No predictions are possible about the Senate."

Conservative activists, too, are bracing for a Senate showdown.

"We know it's going to be very close," said Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues for Concerned Women for America.

It is legal for employers in 31 states to fire someone for being gay, the ban's supporters said.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would make it illegal for employers to make decisions about hiring, firing, promoting or paying an employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Churches and the military would be exempt.

Federal law bans job discrimination based on factors such as race, gender and religion. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have laws against sexual orientation discrimination.

Ban opponents say it could undermine the rights of people who oppose homosexuality for religious reasons.

"It would force Christian, Jewish, Muslim business owners to leave their faith at the workplace door," Barber said.

Critics say gay rights advocates are exaggerating the extent of anti-gay discrimination in hopes of boosting their political agenda.