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So who’s the latest executive to get caught with his pants down? Mark Everson of the American Red Cross. After learning that he was romantically involved with a subordinate employee, the Board sought his resignation this week—and it was effective immediately. The official reason? According to theRed Cross’ press release, Everson exercised “poor judgment” that “diminished his ability to lead the organization in the future.” Ouch.

Based on a recent Gallop Poll, nearly 87-90% of Americans believe that gays and lesbians should have equal rights in terms of job opportunities. While states continue to expand employment law protections (see NGAL Task Force State Map of Non-Discrimination Laws) federal laws still do not expressly prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. There’s also no federal coverage for gender identity, which relates to an employee’s beliefs about whether s/he is male or female. It’s an astonishing gap that puts the U.S. behind the curve on the world stage when it comes to civil rights protections.

But one legislative initiative is putting these issues front and center on the national agenda. It’s called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The EDNA is not a new initiative. It’s actually bounced around Congress in one form or another since 1974. And it’s been languishing for nearly a decade.

Well – the EDNA is back. And it’s making some real progress. Democrats in the House have made some compromises (and created some rifts in the bill’s supporters, as well as the gay and lesbian community) hoping to get some form of legislation passed. The revised bill, H.R. 3685, was passed by the Education and Labor Committee on October 18, 2007. The big change? The bill no longer includes gender identity. It only prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Some in the house believe it’s the only way to get the ENDA passed. Sure enough, on November 7, 2007, H.R. 3685 was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 235 to 184 (14 members did not vote).