Equality Act: US House Passes Legislation Protecting LGBT Rights
The US House of Representatives has passed sweeping legislation that prohibits LGBT discrimination, but it is unlikely to pass the Senate.
The Equality Act was previously passed by the Democratic-led House in 2019, but was killed by Senate Republicans.
The debate has laid bare the ideological battle between liberals who support the act and conservatives who say it infringes on religious freedom.
The act expands on a 2020 Supreme Court ruling protecting some LGBT rights.
What does the act do?
The Equality Act expands on the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
But what does that actually mean?
- The act provides non-discrimination protections for LGBT people
- It would extend into all areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, jury service, and public services
- It makes existing state protections federal and consistent across the nation
The act would also federally codify into law the 2020 June Supreme Court ruling that said employers who fire workers for being gay or transgender are violating civil rights law.
Advocates for the act have argued that the current “patchwork” of state anti-discrimination laws does not provide enough comprehensive protection, and leaves many LGBT individuals at risk.
“The patchwork nature of current laws leaves millions of people subject to uncertainty and potential discrimination that impacts their safety, their families, and their day-to-day lives,” the Human Rights Campaign said in a statement.
Passing the act was one of President Joe Biden’s campaign promises and he has said he would sign it into law immediately should it pass Congress.
Who opposed the bill?
Nearly all House Republicans said the bill infringed on their religious freedom and voted against it.
Before the vote, the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank said the act “would make mainstream beliefs about marriage, biological facts about sex differences, and many sincerely held beliefs punishable under the law”.
It also argued the bill would give transgender athletes “an obvious unfair advantage” by permitting them to compete in sports against women, a claim often echoed by Republican lawmakers.
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene – one of the fiercest opponents of the bill – tried to halt passage of the legislation on the House floor.
She also caused a stir by putting up an anti-trans sign outside her office in response to the trans pride flag across the hall, put up by Democratic congresswoman Marie Newman.