The Senate voted Thursday to approve the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, landmark civil rights legislation that would make it illegal to discriminate against LGBT individuals in the workplace.
The final vote was 64-32, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats.
ENDA would outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is already illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, nationality, religion, age or disability. Twenty-nine states currently have no laws protecting LGBT individuals in the workplace.
It's the first time in history that the Senate has passed ENDA. The House passed a version of ENDA in 2007, but it did not include protections for transgender individuals.
The late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) first introduced ENDA in the Senate in 1994. Before he passed away in 2009, he asked Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to take the batonand champion the legislation that was near and dear to his heart.
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