September 11 meets ENDA. (Congress).

It's hard to imagine what Mark Bingham would have thought about all the media attention he has received since his death on the ill-fated United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11. But one thing he'd likely be surprised at is the way some members of the U.S. Senate have mentioned his name in an effort to persuade their colleagues to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

"One of the heroes who defied the hijackers on Flight 93 was Mark Bingham, a gay man," said majority leader Tom Daschle in a speech on the Senate floor. "His courage may have helped save this very building. This year we should have the courage to pass ENDA and prohibit employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation."

Sen. Ted Kennedy also mentioned Bingham and the other gay victims in mid January while pressing the same issue, saying, "Their memory should tell us that all Americans should be able to live their lives as full citizens of a free society."

Meanwhile, the Senate is likely to take up--and pass--a new hate-crimes bill extending protections to gay and lesbian Americans as early as March. In a January 25 letter to Daschle, a bipartisan group of senators said it was "long past time ... to bring the federal hate crimes statute up to date."