New York ? Anti-gay bias has flared up in Hollywood and pro basketball recently, and soon the topic will be thrust dramatically into a new forum – a reshaped Congress likely to pass the first major federal gay-rights bills.

Wary conservative leaders, as well as gay-rights advocates, share a belief that at least two measures will win approval this year: a hate-crimes bill that would cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias, and a measure that would outlaw workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Also on the table – although with more doubtful prospects – will be a measure to be introduced Wednesday seeking repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bans openly gay Americans from serving in the military.

All three measures surfaced in previous sessions of Congress, at times winning significant bipartisan backing but always falling short of final passage. This year, with Democrats now in control and many Republicans likely to join in support, the hate-crimes and workplace bills are widely expected to prevail.

If approved by Congress, the bills would head to the White House. Activists on both the left and right are unsure whether President Bush would sign or veto them.

For gay-rights leaders – whose efforts to legalize same-sex marriage have been rebuffed by many states – the congressional votes are keenly anticipated after years of lobbying.

“This is a major step in our struggle,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “I know there’s a lot of despair on the other side.”

The workplace bill – titled the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA – is the subject of behind-the-scenes negotiations. The bill that emerges is expected to expand on earlier versions to cover not only sexual orientation but also gender identity, thus extending protections to transgender employees. Churches and small businesses would be exempt.

For many Americans, ENDA’s provisions would be familiar. More than 85 percent of the Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies, as do 17 states and many local governments.

And publicly, there is increasingly little tolerance for overt anti-gay bias. The National Basketball Association swiftly repudiated retired all-star Tim Hardaway after he spoke this month of hating gays, while TV actor Isaiah Washington apologized and sought counseling after using a gay slur in reference to a fellow actor on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

The hate-crimes measure would expand existing federal provisions to include acts of violence against gays.

According to the FBI, about 14 percent of the 7,163 hate crimes reported in 2005 targeted gays or lesbians.