U.S. Senate Approves Anti-Discrimination Bill Endorsed by Tim CookThe United States Senate has approved the anti-discrimination bill that Apple CEO Tim Cook endorsed in an Op-Ed earlier this week. In a 64-32 vote, the Senate voted to pass the Employment Nondiscrimation Act today, sending the legislation to the U.S. House of Representatives where its future is uncertain. The bill adds gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals to the U.S.'s existing nondiscrimination law. Tim Cook tweeted about the passing of the bill, saying: Thanks to all Senators who supported ENDA! I encourage the House to follow suit and end discrimination. From The New York Times: “The time has come for Congress to pass a federal law that ensures all citizens, regardless of where they live, can go to work not afraid of who they are,” Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, said on Thursday, noting that a vast majority of Americans already think such a law is in place. “Well, it isn’t already the law,” he added. “Let’s do what the American people think already exists.” Republicans who voted against the bill, known as the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, were muted in their opposition. The first senator to rise and speak against the bill on the floor all week was Dan Coats of Indiana, who said Thursday morning that religious freedoms were at risk, despite the bill’s broad exemption for religious institutions. Those exemptions, he said, did not go far enough.In his op-ed, Tim Cook wrote that Apple has made it a point to create "a safe and welcoming workplace for all employees, regardless of their race, gender, nationality or sexual orientation", while also elaborating on employee rights to express identity in a working environment. Note: Due to the potentially controversial nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Apple Releases Fix for NVIDIA Graphics Issue on New 15-Inch Retina MacBook Pro • RunKeeper for iOS Gains M7 'Pocket Track', AirDrop Friend Request and Workout Sharing • 'Star Wars: Tiny Death Star' Hits the U.S. App Store • Yahoo Finance App for iPhone and iPad Updated With New Design • IFTTT Updated With Actions for iOS Photos and Reminders • Apple Store App Now Allows Passbook Gift Card Integration Internationally • Apple Seeds Xcode 5.0.2 GM to Developers • Nike+ FuelBand SE Now Available in Apple Online Store
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/07/u-s-senate-approves-anti-discrimination-bill-endorsed-by-tim-cook/
