The Equality Act with LGBTQ Protection passes the House of Representatives, and heads to the Senate

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives has passed comprehensive legislation banning discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, even though it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Legislators passed the legislation by 224 votes to 206, most of them from the party vote line. Three Republicans voted for all the Democrats. The bill is one of President Joe Biden’s top legislative priorities, and one he wants to pass in his first 100 days in office. The legislation amends civil rights laws including the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, and national origin, to include protections based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It would also prohibit such discrimination in public places, on transportation, and in government-funded programs. Rep. David Cecilin, who introduced the House measure, said that “every American deserves respect and dignity,” and that the Equality Act, if it becomes law, “ensures that LGBTQ Americans live a life free of discrimination.” He said it was important to pass the legislation because many Americans believed the protections were already enshrined in the law. He said the notion of denying Americans serving in a restaurant solely because of their sexual orientation “is inconsistent with our basic understanding of justice and equality.” The House of Representatives passed a similar version of the bill in May 2019, but it died in the then Republican-controlled Senate. Eight Republicans voted for it in 2019, although no Republicans co-sponsored this year’s version of the legislation. The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, which is split 50 to 50 between members of the Republican and Democratic party bloc, with Vice President Kamala Harris playing a crucial role. You will need at least 10 Republicans to vote with all of the Democrats to move forward with the bill after a major procedural hurdle called disruption. Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said he would use his powers as majority leader to bring the bill to the ground and would dare Republicans to vote against it, though he refused to say when the legislation would be brought up in the Senate. More: The Equality Act, which protects LGBTI + Americans, is on the table for a vote in the House of Representatives. What is that? Mark Takano, de-California, the first gay person of color in Congress, told reporters when he voted Thursday that he would “think of all the LGBTQ activists who marched, protested, and set up a movement to protect LGBT lives and expand our rights.” Tami Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, who was the first openly gay and incumbent member of Congress when she was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1999 and the first gay member of the Senate upon her election in 2012, told reporters as an attorney that she has She saw first-hand how the law failed to provide protection to clients who faced discrimination. “It is time to end this kind of discrimination against the LGBTQ community,” although many states have enacted anti-discrimination laws, advocates such as Human Rights Campaigns argue that today’s “patchwork” of laws across states leaves LGBTQ Americans vulnerable to discrimination. A Supreme Court ruling last June in Bostock v. Clay County expanded workplace protection for LGBTQ Americans, but groups like the National Women’s Law Center say the legislation will categorize the court’s decision and create explicit federal protections for LGBTQ Americans outside the workplace. Some Conservatives and Republicans have expressed concerns that the legislation could violate religious freedom or lead to inequality in sporting competition if transgender women compete against compatible women. Speaking in the House of Representatives, Representative Yvette Herrel, a Republican, said the bill would “force churches in public spaces to do things that contradict their firm beliefs” and lead to federal government interference in private life. Cecilin responded to the religious objections, saying “religious organizations will still enjoy their rights” under the current law. The Conservative Heritage Foundation, which opposes the bill, says it could threaten religious freedoms, give transgender athletes an unfair advantage and harm constitutional freedoms, while Marjorie Taylor Green, Republic of Georgia, opposed a procedural debate on Wednesday’s measure, infuriating fellow Democrats. Mary Newman, D., Illinois, whose office is across from Green’s office, put the transsexual flag outside her office “so you can look at it every time you open her door.” Green responded by placing an anti-transgender banner outside her office. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, spoke about the dispute during a press conference on Thursday, telling reporters that there is an “unfortunate event here this morning that demonstrates our need for respect. It’s not just respect, it’s pride, take pride in our LGBTQ community.” : Crystal Hayes