A GOP Congressman says it should be perfectly legal to fire someone because they are gay. Rep. James Lankford, the Republican U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, says that he is perfectly fine with firing people for their sexual orientation. Sadly, laws often agree with Rep. Lankford. You can be fired for being gay in 29 states, Â and in 34 states, you can be fired for being transgender. This is why we need an inclusive ENDA.
Annie-Rose Strasser and Scott Keyes at Think Progress report:
STRASSER: Would you support a law that says you can’t fire someone for their sexual orientation –
KEYES: Similar to protections for people on race or gender?
LANKFORD: Well, you’re now dealing with behavior and I’m trying to figure out exactly what you’re trying to mean by that. Because you’re dealing with — race and sexual preferences are two different things. One is a behavior-related and preference-related and one is something inherently — skin color, something obvious, that kind of stuff. You don’t walk up to someone on the street and look at them and say, “Gay or straight?â€
KEYES: But you think that even if you can’t see they’re that way, you don’t think someone is born gay necessarily?
LANKFORD: Do I personally? No. I don’t. I think it’s a choice issue. Are tendencies and such? Yes. But I think it’s a choice issue.
Strasser  and Keyes add:
Being gay is actually not a choice, according to the American Medical Association, the American Association of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and all other accredited medical organizations. A large percentage of LGBT workers have experienced discrimination at work and many have been fired because of their sexual orientation.
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Last month, notoriously anti-gay hypocrite GOP Congressman Steve King said gays should lie about their sexuality unless they want to risk being fired for being gay, which the government can’t stop.