In an article in the Washington Post,Senate votes to ban discrimination against gay and tran,

reporter Ed O'keefe reports on the passing of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act by Congress. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would ban employers from firing, refusing to hire or discriminating against workers or job applicants based on their sexual orientation or
gender identity. Though most states already have laws like this in place, there are some,
namely Virginia, who have no laws and discrimination is allowed to run rampant in the
workplace. The argument presented against passing ENDA came from Sen. Daniel Coats
who claimed that ENDA "diminishes" the religious freedom of organizations and
employers who may feel compelled to hire people who hold religious views contrary to
the views of the organization.
     The ideal presented that putting a legal end to the discrimination of people based
on their sexual orientation or legal identity diminishes religious freedom is bogus. The
issue is not religious freedom. I understand that there are religions who condemn
homosexuals because their relationships don't produce children. The followers of those
religions should still not be allowed to discriminate against a homosexual man or woman
because that homosexual's beliefs are not the same. Also, if a Christian organization, for
example, did not want to hire a homosexual man because they do not agree with his
homosexuality despite the fact that he has proclaimed himself a Christian, they should
not be allowed to reject his application based on that disagreement of personal beliefs.
     I believe that every man or woman's beliefs are theirs personally, not to be laid out on
display and judged by an employer. If two Buddhists, two Christians, or two Baha'is
disagree on the way the other of their same religion is following their Faith, that is
personal and should not be brought in to the workplace. It is unprofessional. It is not
okay to deny equality based on the fear that you might have to work with someone who
has different beliefs or lives their life in a different manner than you.