The need for a national Employment Non-Discrimination Act a

“The need for a national Employment Non-Discrimination Act is a critical part of the LGBT community's struggle for equality.” — Jared Polis

In this saying, Jared Polis, a leader known for his tireless advocacy for human dignity, speaks to the ancient and eternal struggle for equality — a struggle that transcends laws, nations, and time itself. His words are not merely political; they are moral. They call us to remember that every civilization is judged not by its strength or wealth, but by how it protects the dignity of its most vulnerable. When Polis speaks of a Non-Discrimination Act, he speaks of a covenant — a promise that no person shall lose their livelihood because of who they are or whom they love. It is the modern echo of humanity’s oldest yearning: to stand free under the sun without fear or shame.

Long ago, in the marketplaces of Athens or the temples of Rome, there were citizens and slaves, nobles and commoners — yet even then, the wise among them saw that justice cannot be divided. For when one group is cast into shadow, the whole of society grows dim. The LGBT community’s struggle for equality mirrors the struggles of countless others throughout history — from the abolition of slavery to the fight for women’s suffrage. Each movement was met first with scorn, then with debate, and finally with the dawning of understanding. The demand for non-discrimination in employment is but one battlefield in this eternal war for human worth.

Consider the story of Frank Kameny, an astronomer fired from his government job in 1957 simply because he was gay. Cast out not for failure of mind or skill, but for being true to himself, Kameny did not fall silent. Instead, he became one of the first soldiers in America’s fight for LGBT rights, standing before the might of bureaucracy and saying, “You have wronged me.” It took decades for the nation to hear his cry, but when it finally did — when his records were cleared and his honor restored — the victory was not his alone. It belonged to all who believe that work and dignity are inseparable.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is more than parchment and ink. It is a symbol of civilization’s maturity, the point at which a society looks inward and says, “We will no longer allow prejudice to govern our hands or our hiring.” For centuries, humanity has built cathedrals, pyramids, and machines of wondrous power — yet none of these achievements shine brighter than a just law that protects the weak from the strong. It is through such laws that the spirit of equality gains flesh and breath, walking among us as living justice.

But laws alone do not complete the work. They are the beginning, not the end. True equality is born when hearts change — when employers see not labels, but human beings; when co-workers stand beside one another as brothers and sisters, not strangers divided by fear. The struggle for equality is not merely waged in courts and legislatures, but in the quiet moments of conscience — when a person decides to speak out against mockery, or to hire based on merit instead of bias.

Let us then learn from Polis’s words: that freedom without fairness is fragile, and rights without recognition are hollow. If a nation wishes to rise, it must ensure that every citizen may labor without fear of dismissal for being themselves. Equality in the workplace is the forge where dignity is tempered, and without it, the structure of justice will always crack.

To those who hear this teaching, take it to heart. In your time and place, become guardians of fairness. Speak for those who cannot. Build communities where the measure of a person is their honesty, their work, their kindness — not the nature of their love. Remember always: the struggle for equality is not a chapter that ends; it is the very essence of human progress, passed like a torch from generation to generation. Carry it forward, for the light it bears is the light of civilization itself.