WASHINGTON -- A bi-partisan group of Senate and House members today introduced the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit most employers across the country from discriminating against LGBT workers.

In the Senate, the bill was introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

In the House of Representatives, the bill was introduced by Representatives Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), and joined by more than 100 co-sponsors.

President Barack Obama was re-elected Tuesday night after a long and grueling campaign against Republican opponent Mitt Romney. He was declared the winner at 8:13 pm PT.

Obama won the Electoral College handily, according to preliminary results.

The President crafted together a strong base on the liberal West Coast and Northeast, and won critical swing states of Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, Virginia and Minnesota. It is now clear that Obama's declaration in support of marriage equality and LGBT rights did not harm his re-election chances.

(Editor’s note: San Diego Gay & Lesbian News has an exclusive local media partnership with QNotes in presenting special LGBT community-oriented coverage of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which will be Sept. 4-6 in Charlotte, N.C.)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act was a "high priority" today during an impromptu question and answer session with independent media and bloggers attending the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

"I think [ENDA is] a high priority," Schumer remarked.

Whether you're a retail clerk, a mechanic, or a surgeon – if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you shouldn't be forced to stay in the closet for fear of losing your job. Today, in 29 states LGBT people can be fired only because they're lesbian, gay, or bisexual. And in 34 states, people can be fired just because they're transgender — reasons completely unrelated to their work!