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Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate said Wednesday they reintroduced the Equality Law to provide legal protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
The bill would expand federal civil rights law to prohibit the discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas such as public facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system.
Congressional Democrats joined LGBTQ+ leaders at a news conference on Capitol Hill, saying current laws leave that community vulnerable to discrimination in employment and in many other fields.
The leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer and the minority leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat from New York, promised to work hard to pass the Equality Act despite opposition from Republicans.
“The Equality Act is and will continue to be one of our top priorities until we reach the finish line,” Jeffries said. “That’s what the Equality Act is all about, rejecting discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, choosing hope over hate.”
The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 toto expand protections for education, housing and employment for the LGBTQ+ community and would also include protections on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Congressmen pointed to the Respect for Marriage Act, which was passed last year with bipartisan support and enshrined the protection of gay marriage, as evidence that the Equality Act has a way forward.
“Progress should not be confused with victory,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, who reintroduced the bill in the Senate. “[Debemos luchar] until all Americans have the freedom of equality.”
The Human Rights Campaign reported in a statement that states have submitted 525 bills that have targeted the LGBTQ+ community and negatively impacted rights.
HRC President Kelly Robinson, who attended the press conference, said gay, lesbian and transgender people live under different laws than the rest of the country.
Calling for swift and urgent passage of the Equality Act, Robinson told members of a Senate panel that “LGBTQ+ people in the United States of America live in a state of emergency.”
Conservative representatives in Congress have argued that the law would likely infringe on people’s religious rights and freedoms.
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