What’s Brewing: ENDA loses 92 co-sponsors; study estimates 9 million LGB Americans

Your weekday morning blend from Instant Tea:

1. Last week the re-introduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act was delayed due to a lack of co-sponsors. Now we can see why. The federal bill to ban anti-LGBT job discrimination was finally re-introduced Wednesday with nearly half the co-sponsors it had in the last session. The number of ENDA co-sponsors is down from 203 in the last Congress to 111 in this one. Republicans, of course, picked up 70 seats in the House last November, but this still leaves a difference of 22. LGBT advocates are downplaying the numbers, saying the bill isn’t going to pass anyway this session so the most important thing is how much educating they’re able to do.

2. Nine million Americans, or about 3.5 percent of the overall population, identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, according to a new study from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

3. Country singer Chely Wright, who came out last year and spoke at Black Die Dinner in Dallas in November, is engaged to LGBT activist Lauren Blitzer, accorrding to People magazine. They plan to marry in August.