Lawmakers Take Another Shot at the Equality Act
Bill featuring comprehensive LGBTQ protections faces roadblocks in the Senate
BY MATT TRACY
Lawmakers in Congress introduced
the Equality Act,
a comprehensive bill that
would amend the 1964
Civil Rights Act and related federal
laws to ban discrimination against
LGBTQ individuals.
The legislation, introduced in the
House February 18 and the Senate
on February 23, would fi rmly establish
comprehensive protections
in areas including housing, employment,
public education, public
accommodations, federal funding,
credit, and the jury system and expand
on the Supreme Court ruling
last June. The latest version of the
bill, which most recently passed
the lower chamber in 2019, follows
President Joe Biden issued executive
orders bolstering protections for
queer people.
The bill is expected to easily
pass the House of Representatives
— and a vote is expected within
days — but it faces signifi cant
hurdles in a divided Senate. Conservative
Senator Joe Manchin
of West Virginia and out bisexual
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema,
both Democrats, are among those
who have voiced opposition to
scrapping the fi libuster, which requires
60 votes to overcome in a
Senate that is split 50-50. Even if
that hurdle is cleared, it is possible
that the Equality Act would not
even attract support from enough
senators. Manchin has stood in
opposition to the bill and it is not
clear whether Republicans such as
Republican Senator Susan Collins
of Maine — who voted in favor of
the Employment Non-Discrimination
Act — would vote in favor of
the legislation. She told the Washington
Blade she would not be cosponsoring
it because she believes
“certain provisions of the Equality
Act which needed revision.”
Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon,
the bill’s lead sponsor in the upper
chamber, explained that the bill is
necessary because it impacts some
of the most basic functions of life
for LGBTQ Americans.
“All of us go to work and school,
Out gay Congressmember David Cicilline, a lead sponsor of the Equality Act, speaks outside of the US
Capitol in 2019 before voting on the bill.
go home, and go shopping, and none
of us should have to keep our families
hidden or pretend to be someone
we’re not to do those things,”
Merkley said in a written statement.
“True freedom is the ability
to participate fully in every aspect
of American life, without fear. I authored
the #EqualityAct so we can
fully open the doors of opportunity
for everyone in our country.”
Out lesbian Senator Tammy
Baldwin of Wisconsin, a co-sponsor
of the bill, emphasized the
far-reaching impact it would have
across the United States.
“It is just wrong that in a majority
of states, LGBTQ Americans
live without fully-inclusive nondiscrimination
laws and can still
face discrimination simply because
of who they are or who they
love,” Baldwin stated. “It is time to
end this kind of discrimination because
LGBTQ Americans should
have the freedom of full equality. I
know the House will do its job to
pass the Equality Act and the Senate
should do the same and get the
job done so that we provide full
equality for every LGBTQ American
across our country.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California
said lawmakers in the House
of Representatives would move
quickly to push the bill forward —
and a vote is expected in the lower
chamber in a matter of days.
TWITTER/DAVID CICILLINE
“The Democratic House will now
swiftly pass this landmark legislation
and will keep working until it is
fi nally enacted into law – so that we
can combat anti-LGBTQ discrimination
that undermines our democracy
and advance justice in America,”
Pelosi said after the bill was introduced
in the lower chamber.
Out gay Representative David Cicilline
of Rhode Island, who is the
lead sponsor in the lower house,
urged his colleagues to join him in
moving the legislation forward.
“In 2021, every American should
be treated with respect and dignity,”
Cicilline said in a written statement
after the bill was introduced.
“Yet, in most states, LGBTQ people
can be discriminated against
because of who they are, or who
they love. It is past time for that
to change. I’m proud to introduce
the Equality Act today, and I look
forward to continuing to work with
Senator Merkley to get this bill
signed into law.”
Since the bill was introduced
in the House, queer legal groups
praised lawmakers for introducing
the legislation. Lambda Legal
CEO Kevin Jennings described the
Equality Act as “long past-due federal
legislation.”
“LGBTQ people across the country
remain vulnerable to discrimination
on a daily basis and too often
have little recourse,” Jennings said.
POLITICS
“Without comprehensive federal protections,
the basic rights of LGBTQ
people vary state to state. In some
instances, individuals lose rights
and protections the moment they
cross the border into a neighboring
state, underscoring that the current
patchwork of protections for LGBTQ
people is inadequate. In addition,
as evidenced by the thousands
of phone calls to our Help Desk we
receive each year, many employers,
landlords and lenders still haven’t
gotten the message that discrimination
is just wrong, which is why
we need the absolute clarity of the
Equality Act, and we need it now.”
GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders
executive director Janson
Wu underscored the dire need to
move forward with the legislation
to ensure comprehensive protections
for queer Americans.
“The Equality Act is vital to ensuring
the promise of a level playing
fi eld for all Americans,” Wu
said in a written statement. “Passing
the Equality Act is a critical
step toward ensuring that LGBTQ
people — and all people — can
protect their families and contribute
to their communities and
workplaces... We call on Congress
to follow the lead of the American
people and send the Equality Act
to President Biden for his signature
this session.”
Imani Rupert-Gordon, the director
of the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, said the new legislation
“starts to carve a clear path to
LGBTQ equality and marks a new
day for our country.”
“The harsh reality is that current
anti-discrimination protections
fall far short of protecting
everyone in our communities,
leaving behind LGBTQ people and
people of color who continue to face
disproportionate discrimination in
nearly every aspect of their lives,”
Rupert-Gordon stated.
When the bill passed the House
in 2019, 236 lawmakers voted in
favor of it — including eight Republicans
— and that was the fi rst
time the bill passed either chamber
since it was introduced in its
modern-day form in 2015.
GayCityNews.com | February 25 - March 10, 2021 3
/GayCityNews.com
