For several years, Congressional Democrats have tried to pass a bill protecting employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Now the House sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) says he wants a committee vote on the bill either this week or next.

Opponents argue that the bill would prohibit school districts from denying jobs to transgendered people. Some observers question whether Democrats will want to push this issue so close to an election when they have already lost support from voters who think the party has leaned too far to the left.

In a CBSnews.com interview Tuesday, Allyson Robinson, associate director of diversity for the Human Rights Campaign, said that most Americans support the concept of prohibiting discrimination against lesbians, gays, bi-sexual and transgendered people.

“What ENDA does is it takes what a majority of Americans do recognize as a fundamental value, fairness in the workplace–we judge people on the basis of the work that they perform, not on the basis of how they look, or what they do outside of work–and it applies that standard to federal law,” she said.

Watch or read the full story here.

For several years, Congressional Democrats have tried to pass a bill protecting employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Now the House sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) says he wants a committee vote on the bill either this week or next.

Opponents argue that the bill would prohibit school districts from denying jobs to transgendered people. Some observers question whether Democrats will want to push this issue so close to an election when they have already lost support from voters who think the party has leaned too far to the left.

In a CBSnews.com interview Tuesday, Allyson Robinson, associate director of diversity for the Human Rights Campaign, said that most Americans support the concept of prohibiting discrimination against lesbians, gays, bi-sexual and transgendered people.

“What ENDA does is it takes what a majority of Americans do recognize as a fundamental value, fairness in the workplace–we judge people on the basis of the work that they perform, not on the basis of how they look, or what they do outside of work–and it applies that standard to federal law,” she said.

Watch or read the full story here.