Another amendment, which would prohibit the government from taking action against religious organizations exempt from the bill by denying them federal benefits such as grants or a tax- exempt status, was adopted yesterday by voice vote. It was sponsored by Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman.

‘Level’ Field

“ENDA will help create a level playing field and ensure that employment opportunities are available to all, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect bill,” Portman said in a statement. “We must make certain that in pursuit of enforcing non- discrimination, those religious employers are not subject to a different form of discrimination -- government retaliation.”

During the debate this week, most of the bill’s opponents refrained from public criticism of the bill, instead devoting their floor speeches to attacking the flawed rollout of the 2010 health-care law.

After the Supreme Court in a June 26 ruling struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, gay-rights advocates made ENDA their top priority on Capitol Hill. President Barack Obama, most congressional Democrats and almost 70 Fortune 500 companies, including Citigroup Inc. and Dow Chemical Co., support the measure.

Coalition’s Opposition

Among the groups opposing the legislation is the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition.

“Picture your child in a classroom full of students when a formerly male teacher walks in as a transgendered female at the beginning of the school year,” Andrea Lafferty, president of the coalition, said in a statement. “Our children’s education and well-being should be more important than catering to the unhealthy psychological condition of a very small group of individuals.”

Lawmakers have considered extending civil rights protections to gay and lesbian workers since 1994. In 1996, a version of the bill that didn’t include a gender-identity provision fell one vote short of Senate passage.

In 2007, the House passed a version with only the sexual- orientation component after some members balked at extending protections to transgender workers -- those who express a gender identity different from the one on their birth certificates. It died in the Senate.