Congresswoman Elaine Luria and Congressman Don Beyer today voted for the Equality Act, a bipartisan bill that would provide consistent and explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and more.
“It’s 2019 – long past time for America’s civil rights laws to protect the LGBTQ community,” Luria said. “Today’s House vote means we’re a step closer to a point where Americans aren’t denied basic protections because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. I am proud to stand with the LGBTQ community today and every day.”
“This historic vote is the first time a chamber of Congress has passed comprehensive civil rights protections for LGBTQ people,” Beyer said. “No one should be discriminated against for the person they love or their gender identity and today we took a big step to making that a reality. Today House Democrats kept their promise to fight for all Americans, and I am proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues to pass this long overdue legislation. I urge the Senate to pass this bill as soon as possible to ensure LGBTQ people are finally protected under the United States’ civil rights laws.”
The House passed the Equality Act today 236 to 173.
The chief sponsors of the bipartisan House legislation are U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights law — including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Jury Selection and Services Act, and several laws regarding employment with the federal government — to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The legislation also amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination in public spaces and services and federally funded programs on the basis of sex.
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