Home passes the Equality Act in a victory for LGBTQ Individuals

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Home passes the Equality Act in a victory for LGBTQ Individuals

In a victory for LGBTQ rights, the Home handed the Equality Act, a invoice that might ban discrimination based mostly on gender identification o


In a victory for LGBTQ rights, the Home handed the Equality Act, a invoice that might ban discrimination based mostly on gender identification or sexual orientation, on February 24.

All Home Democrats and three Home Republicans — Reps. John Katko (NY), Tom Reed (NY), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) — joined collectively to cross the invoice, 224-206. Now, the laws strikes to the Senate, the place it faces harder opposition as a result of it can want all 50 Democrats plus 10 Republican senators to cross it. The invoice, which has been launched 4 occasions in its present type however has existed since 1974, handed the Home in 2019 however was blocked by the then-Republican-controlled Senate.

The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to explicitly enumerate LGBTQ+ Individuals as a category protected against discrimination. Whereas the Supreme Courtroom dominated in Bostock v. Clayton final 12 months that discrimination based mostly on sexual orientation or gender identification was unconstitutional beneath the “intercourse” provision within the Civil Rights Act — thereby extending protections in housing, training, and employment to LGBTQ individuals — the Equality Act would go additional, banning discrimination for all federally funded applications and “public lodging,” like shops, stadiums, rental institutions, and motels.

That final characteristic has been a sticking level for non secular teams as a result of it will prohibit companies from claiming non secular freedom to disclaim service to LGBTQ+ Individuals, in flip explicitly superseding 1993’s Spiritual Freedom Restoration Act. To make use of a well-known instance, a bakery would not have the ability to deny its wedding ceremony cake providers to a same-sex couple based mostly on the house owners’ faith if the Equality Act have been handed.

LGBTQ teams lauded the invoice’s passage within the Home, noting the Equality Act was the fruits of a long time of labor from LGBTQ activists.

“On the Trevor Challenge, our disaster counselors continuously hear from LGBTQ younger people who find themselves negatively impacted by discrimination and stigma of their on a regular basis life and wish nothing greater than to be handled with the identical dignity and respect as everybody else,” Amit Paley, govt director of the Trevor Challenge, which offers disaster providers to LGBTQ individuals beneath 25, informed Vox. “We hope the Senate will act swiftly and ship a powerful message to LGBTQ younger people who they deserve to have the ability to dwell their lives overtly, proudly, and with out worry.”

LGBTQ Home Democrats additionally mentioned the invoice was a long-overdue step towards guaranteeing equal safety beneath the regulation.

“Right this moment we ship a robust message to LGBTQ individuals across the nation, and certainly world wide, that they’re seen, that they’re valued, that their lives are worthy of being protected,” mentioned Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), one of many first overtly LGBTQ Black members of Congress.

In a press convention, Democrats made direct appeals to their Republican colleagues within the Senate, saying the invoice simply extends the identical protections to LGBTQ Individuals as different protected courses.

“We would like no extra, nor ought to we settle for any much less,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), one in all two overtly LGBTQ senators, mentioned.

They emphasised non secular exemptions would apply the identical manner they do to race and intercourse. However quite a lot of non secular teams are lobbying in opposition to the invoice, together with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents over 1500 Orthodox Jewish rabbis, and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Spiritual opposition has been the crux of the GOP’s opposition, however Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has put Republicans in an ungainly spot together with her transphobic feedback and actions over the vote this week, whereas Sen. Rand Paul unfold transphobic misinformation at Dr. Rachel Levine’s affirmation listening to. Now, Republicans like Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) say the GOP must be extra intentional in its anti-Equality Act messaging — making clear they’re tangentially against LGBTQ+ equality due to purported non secular freedom arguments reasonably than explicitly homophobic and transphobic.

GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy group, countered that narrative, saying in a press launch that majorities of all religion teams — which have vital LGBTQ+ populations — help anti-discrimination legal guidelines, together with Catholics, Jews, and non-white Protestants.

Within the Senate, there are a couple of Republicans who could vote in help of the invoice. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) cosponsored the invoice in 2019, although she mentioned she is not going to accomplish that this time as a result of sure provisions “want revision.” Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have been supportive of LGBTQ+ rights earlier than, although Portman mentioned he may object on non secular grounds. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) has already mentioned he’ll oppose the invoice.

When requested how the Senate plans to get 60 votes, Sen. Jeff Berkeley (D-OR) mentioned he hopes the method can be just like the 2013 Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a narrower invoice that Democrats lobbied their Republican colleagues for to ultimately get the requisite votes.





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