We Now Have Marriage Equality, What's Next?

On June 26th, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) said marriage equality was enshrined in our Constitution.  Nationwide gays and lesbians are now able to enter into marriages with the person they love and have that marriage recognized in all 50 states as well in our various territories and protectorates.  It was a long, decades long struggle, but it is now accomplished.  The question is: What is next for the LGBT community?

Top of my list is a national Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that would prohibit the firing of gays just for being gay.  In many states around the nation, it is perfectly legal to not hire or to fire someone for being gay.  In some of those states, such as Indiana, various jurisdictions have non-discrimination ordinances on the books, but can be overridden, as in Arkansas, by the states' legislatures.

There is one simple solution to this patchwork quilt of workplace protections: A national ENDA.  For years ENDA has languished in Congress, even when Democrats controlled both chambers.  We now need to devote our energies to passing ENDA (without "religious freedom" exemptions).  Once ENDA is passed and signed into law, we can move onto housing protections.  It may even be possible to do both at once.  Simply by adding sexual orientation to the national non-discrimination laws would protect us not only in the workplace but also in our homes.