Why You Should Care About The Equality Act in 2021
The next step in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is here
Next week the US House of Representatives will vote on The Equality Act (H.R.5), a sweeping amendment to the existing civil rights laws that will end legal discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans.
What is The Equality Act?
According to the Human Rights Campaign, The Equality Act “would provide consistent and explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.”
In May 2019, it passed in the House with a 236–173 vote, with a total of 8 Republican votes in support of The Equality Act. However, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky.), never took it up in the Senate. Now that Democrats hold a majority in both the House and Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris has the tie-breaking 50–50 vote in the Senate, The Equality Act finally has a chance to become law. But this could be made difficult in the event of an opposition filibuster.
The bill was reintroduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, (D-Md.) announced in a letter to congressional colleagues that…
