"I'm proud that the House moved so quickly to pass this landmark bill that would give LGBTQ Americans, including my constituents and the vibrant community in South Florida, equality under the law," said Congressman Deutch, Vice Chair of the House Equality Caucus and Chair of the LGBTQ Aging Issues Task Force. "Our LGBTQ friends and loved ones deserve the same rights and protections that other Americans enjoy. It is now on the Senate to quickly pass this fix to our discriminatory laws and extend protections to all Americans, regardless of who they love or how they identify."

 

Millions of LGBTQ Americans can still be discriminated against depending on the state they live in. In 27 states, a person is at risk of being denied housing because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ people are also at risk of being denied access to education in 31 states, and the right to serve on a jury in 41 states.

 

The Equality Act remedies these disparities by amending existing federal civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment education, housing, credit, jury service, public accommodations, and federal funding.

 

Despite the Supreme Court’s recent Bostock v. Clayton County decision affirming that LGBTQ Americans are protected from discrimination in the workplace under federal law, the Trump Administration advanced an anti-LGBTQ agenda that undermined the rights of LGBTQ Americans. 

 

In one of its first actions, the Biden-Harris Administration issued an Executive Order directing all federal agencies to fully comply with the Bostock decision. The Equality Act remains necessary to codify civil rights protections in every arena of life in America and ensure that future administrations cannot reinterpret the Supreme Court ruling or deny LGBTQ individuals their full rights and protections. 

 

The Equality Act enjoys the overwhelming support of the American people – 70 percent of whom favor the legislation’s vital protections – as well as robust support from the business community, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of leading businesses and corporations that recognize that the strength of our economy and our society requires equal protection under the law.

 

The legislation is endorsed by leading advocacy organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, the Urban League, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Women’s Law Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Black Justice Coalition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National LGBTQ taskforce, Lambda Legal, Family Equality Council, the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Transgender Law Center, Freedom for all Americans, SAGE, PFLAG, and the Center for American Progress.