Equality Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 147, I call up the bill (H.R. 5) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other core civil rights statutes to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill would also strengthen nondiscrimination protections for women and others.
In short, this long overdue legislation will provide millions of LGBTQ Americans explicit protections from being denied medical care, fired from their jobs, or thrown out of their homes simply because of who they are.
Much of the history of the United States is about expanding the definition of who is understood to be included when the Declaration of Independence says ``all men are created equal.'' When these words were first written, that phrase did not include Black and Latino men; it did not include Native Americans; it did not include women; and it did not include LGBTQ individuals.
Once again, we have an opportunity to continue our march toward justice and to enshrine in our Nation's laws protections for marginalized communities to ensure that everyone can fully participate in key areas of life and to provide them resources in the face of discrimination.
Today, I expect we will hear arguments asking us to pick and choose which of our Nation's children deserve our support, to pick which of our children are valuable enough to have a right to live their lives to the fullest. But that is a false choice and one designed to pit rights for some against rights for all. There is no question that all our children, including those who are transgender, deserve the freedom to choose their own path.
Many of the protections codified by this bill already exist throughout the country, whether through court decisions or in State laws. In those places, women still have rights, religious freedom is still protected, parents are still involved in their children's healthcare, and doctors are still free to exercise their professional medical judgment. And trans athletes from high schools to the Olympic trials sometimes win and sometimes lose, just like everyone else.
But the ability to have a job, to receive medical care, or to rent a home should not depend on who someone is, where they happen to live, or who represents them. LGBTQ people should not have to worry that a future Supreme Court could rip away their existing protections. They deserve the same protections as other communities that have historically faced discrimination, and that requires action from Congress.
For decades, the LGBTQ community has been telling us their stories of outrageous discrimination. Madam Speaker, to my colleagues, I say that it is far past time we stop asking them to come to the Capitol just to defend their existence.
To the LGBTQ community and, in particular, the trans youth and athletes who I expect will hear themselves demonized on the floor today: We see you, we appreciate you, we value you, and we will continue to fight for you.
I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), for his tireless leadership in introducing this bill and helping to shepherd it through the legislative process.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this landmark legislation.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5, the ``Equality Act,'' which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other core civil rights statutes, to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill would also strengthen non-discrimination protections for women and others.
In short, this long overdue legislation will provide millions of LGBTQ Americans explicit protections from being denied medical care, fired from their jobs, or thrown out of their homes simply because of who they are.
Much of the history of the United States has been about expanding the definition of who is understood to be included when the Declaration of Independence says, ``all men are created equal.'' When these words were first written, that phrase did not include black and Latino men; it did not include Native Americans; it did not include women; and it did not include LGBTQ individuals.
Once again, we have an opportunity before us to continue our march toward justice--to enshrine in our nation's laws protections for marginalized communities to ensure that everyone can fully participate in key areas of life, and to provide them recourse in the face of discrimination.
Today, I expect we will hear arguments that will ask us to pick and choose which of our nation's children deserve our support--to pick which of our children are valuable enough to have a right to live their lives to the fullest.
Despite what we will hear, that is a false choice--one designed to pit rights for some against rights for all. There is no question that all our children--including those that are transgender--deserve to have the freedom to choose their own path.
The Equality Act seeks to make our civil rights laws inclusive of all people who have historically faced discrimination. Not only does it provide explicit protections for the LGBTQ community, it also expands protections for women and people of color.
Under the Equality Act, women will finally be protected from discrimination in public accommodations and federally funded programs. By expanding the existing definition of public accommodations under the Civil Rights Act, the Equality Act also increases protections for people on the basis of race, color, religion, and national origin.
People of color should not need to fear being targeted and discriminated against while shopping, just because of the color of their skin. Muslim people should not need to fear being targeted while flying, just because of their religion. And LGBTQ people and women should not need to fear being denied services in public spaces and services simply because of who they are. At long last, this legislation provides them with legal recourse if they face such discrimination.
Many of the protections being codified by this bill already exist across all 50 states following the Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020, and we know that more than 20 states have had some version of the protections before us today even before the Supreme Court's ruling. In those places women still have rights, religious freedom is still protected, parents are still involved in their children's healthcare, and doctors are still free to exercise their professional medical judgment. And trans athletes, from high schools to the Olympic trials, sometimes win and sometimes lose, just like everyone else.
Opponents of the Equality Act argue that it undermines women's rights. That assertion is false. The Equality Act simply ensures that all women, including trans women, are included in female institutions and programs.
When it comes to athletics, the Equality Act ensures that LGBTQ students--including women and girls who are lesbian, bisexual, or transgender--will have the same opportunity to participate in sports as their peers. Trans women and girls have been participating in sports consistent with their gender at all levels for years, and we have not seen any dominance by trans athletes.
Young people who are trans are competing in sports for the same reasons as their peers who are not transgender--including to be part of a team and to challenge themselves--and they deserve the same opportunities as their cisgender peers.
That is why the Women's Sports Foundation, National Women's Law Center, and hundreds of athletes in women's sports and other women's rights groups have consistently voiced their strong support for inclusion of transgender women and girls in women's sports and have opposed efforts to exclude them. Women's sports can play a critical role in women's development and equality and including all women and girls in women's sports strengthens women's sports.
Similarly, single-sex institutions like women's and men's colleges have played an important and historic role in making our nation's higher education system the strongest and most diverse in the world. To be clear, nothing in the Equality Act should be construed to prohibit or otherwise limit or affect the ability of single-sex colleges to maintain their single-sex status. Moreover, it is not Congress's intention to alter in any way Title IX or the scope or availability of its exemptions as they currently stand.
In addition, the Equality Act will not undermine services like single-sex homeless shelters or single sex-facilities. It will simply ensure that these facilities do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Arguments that providing transgender people access to facilities consistent with their gender identity will undermine women's safety have no basis in reality. Laws protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination do not authorize anyone to engage in abusive or harassing behavior.
That is why over 300 domestic violence and sexual assault organizations, including the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, and the National Center for Victims of Crime, have signed onto a National Consensus Statement of Anti-Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Organizations in Support of Full and Equal Access for the Transgender Community.
Transgender people experience shockingly high rates of sexual and physical violence, and the real risk of violence occurs when transgender people are barred from using the appropriate facilities.
The idea that transgender people need explicit protections from discrimination is not new. Dozens of states provide nondiscrimination protections in public accommodations on the basis of gender identity, and in those states we have not seen the parade of horribles that Equality Act opponents raise.
The request to pit people's rights against each other is not based on the real-world outcomes--for which ample evidence exists to the contrary--but a continued resistance to advancing rights for those different from so many of us here in Congress. The ability to have a job, to receive medical care, or to rent a home should not depend on who someone is, where they happen to live, or who represents then politically. LGBTQ people should not have to worry that a future Supreme Court could rip away their existing protections, and they deserve the same protections as other communities that have historically faced discrimination. And that requires action from Congress.
For decades, the LGBTQ community has been coming here over and over to tell us their stories of outrageous discrimination. To my colleagues, I say, it is far past time we stop asking them to come to the Capitol just to defend their existence.
To the LGBTQ community--and in particular the trans youth and athletes who I expect will hear themselves demonized on the floor today--we see you, we appreciate you, we value you, and we will continue to fight for you.
I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island, Representative David Cicilline, for his tireless leadership in introducing this bill and helping to shepherd it through the legislative process. I urge my colleagues to support this landmark legislation.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), who is a distinguished sponsor of this legislation.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, does anybody know what it means to be called names; to be thrown out of your apartment; to be thrown off of a job; and most sadly, to not be allowed to love the person that you love?
In the Hodges case, that was settled when they determined that no union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. And then they ruled. They asked for equal dignity in the eyes of law; the Constitution grants them that right.
I rise in support of the Equality Act because I know what it means to be thrown out, to be looked at, and to be undermined. Our friends in the LGBTQ community every single day experience that. Trans women who are African American have been murdered.
This gives us equal dignity under the law. We could keep a job. If you are in that community, you can be married already, obviously, but you can keep a job. You can get healthcare; you can ensure that you can keep an apartment. You can walk in dignity.
We need the Equality Act as we have needed civil rights laws throughout this Nation.
If we are the place of ``We the People,'' if this Nation is based upon, we the people, then we will pass the Equality Act today. We will pass it now.
I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for his leadership and the gentleman from New York.
Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary and an original cosponsor, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5, the ``Equality Act of 2021.''
Let me thank my colleague on the Judiciary Committee, Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island, for introducing this landmark legislation and his tireless efforts in making this day a reality.
Madam Speaker, our nation's long but inexorable march towards equality reaches another milestone today.
For as long as our national charters have been in existence, we have endeavored to ask ourselves: what do we mean when we say ``We the People?''
How expansive do we hold our pledge that all are entitled to the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
To be certain our nation has come a long way, but as we debate this critical bill, I am reminded of the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644, 135 S.Ct. 2584 (2015), and its powerful conclusion explaining the profound power of love and marriage, and the desire to be seen as equal in the eyes of the law:
No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.
Despite significant legal advances over the past several years, including marriage equality, LGBTQ Americans remain vulnerable to discrimination daily and too often have little recourse.
In the 116th Congress, the Equality Act had the bipartisan support of Members of Congress, with nearly 240 co-sponsors, as well as the strong support of the business community, and most important, the overwhelming support of the American people.
In the 117th Congress, the Equality Act was reintroduced with 223 original cosponsors.
More than 70 percent of American support the Equality Act.
This has been a long journey; the first Equality Act was introduced nearly 46 years ago.
It is long past time to secure the civil rights of LGBTQ people across the country and accord them full membership in the American family.
With the Trump Administration rolling back protections at the federal level and anti-equality opponents continuing to push discriminatory bills at the state level, LGBTQ people cannot wait another year for affirmation that they are worthy of the dignity of their peers and deserving of equal protection of the laws.
Today, too many LGBTQ Americans in too many places remain too vulnerable to discrimination daily with too little legal recourse.
Fifty percent of the national LGBTQ community live in states where, though they may have the right to marry, they have no explicit non- discrimination protections in other areas of daily life.
The Equality Act extends the full anti-discrimination protections of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other key pillars of fairness and justice in our country to LGBTQ Americans.
Sexual orientation and gender identity deserve full civil rights protections, not just in the workplace, but in every place: in education, housing, credit, jury service, public facilities, and public accommodations.
Today, there are only 21 states have explicit laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and only 20 states have such protections for gender identity.
In most states, a same-sex couple can get married on Saturday, then be legally denied service at a restaurant on Sunday, and be fired from their jobs on Monday, and evicted from their apartment on Tuesday.
Madam Speaker, let me take a moment to discuss in more detail several of the important elements of the Equality Act.
The Equality Act amends existing federal civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, Federal jury service, public accommodations, and the use of Federal funds.
It does so by adding sex in some places where it had not previously been protected, and clarifying that sex includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
Specifically, H.R. 5, the ``Equality Act of 2021'' amends:
Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide basic protections against discrimination in public accommodations by adding sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity;
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide basic protections against discrimination by recipients of federal financial assistance by adding sex, including sexual orientation, and gender identity;
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to make explicit protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;
The Fair Housing Act of 1968 to make protections against 1 housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity explicit;
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act to make protections against 7 credit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity explicit; and
The Jury Selections and Services Act to make protections against discrimination in federal jury service based on sexual orientation or gender identity explicit.
The march towards equality has been long and has awoken passions passion from many quarters for various reasons.
Well-intentioned people from all walks of life have had difficulty as progress washes over the debate surrounding protections for same sex individuals.
At times, the debate has seen input from members of the faith community, who strive to reconcile their love for all of God's sons and daughters, with the script of their sacred text.
I understand this tension, but I have carefully studied the text and am confident that passage of the Equality Act will not adversely affect any person's freedom of worship of the free exercise of their faith.
The Equality Act adds sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights law and sex where it is missing.
But the same statutory exemptions that are already in place in the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act will remain in place after enactment and the guarantees of the United States Constitution remain untouched.
The U.S. Constitution provides ample protections for religious freedom and nothing in this bill would, or could, infringe upon the protections afforded by the Constitution, as the principal sponsor of the bill, Congressman Cicilline, confirmed during a colloquy we held when the bill was marked up in the Judiciary Committee in the 116th Congress.
Specifically, the provisions relating to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (federal funding) include the original exemptions for discrimination based on religion.
Religious organizations (not just houses of worship) are free to limit participation in wide array of activities and services to only members of their faith.
This same exemption applies to public accommodations.
Houses of worship could be considered a place of public accommodation only if they offer their space or services for commercial public use.
This does not include religious services.
Nothing in this bill alters the ability of houses of worship or religious leaders to practice or carry out their faith.
No member of the clergy will ever be compelled to perform a religious ceremony that conflicts with their beliefs, including marrying same-sex couples.
The DOJ Title VI Manual and relevant and relevant case law clearly provide that a religious organization that is not ``principally engaged'' in providing social services is only bound by nondiscrimination requirements related to the program for which they receive funding if that funding is targeted in order to provide a specific program or service, i.e. disaster relief, rather than to the entity ``as a whole.''
Nothing in the Equality Act changes that rule.
There is a longstanding ministerial exemption in federal civil rights law that exempts religious organizations from complying with employment nondiscrimination provisions for ministers, rabbis and any other person who is ``carrying out the faith''.
The Equality Act does not alter that exemption in any way.
The Equality Act does not repeal the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
The Equality Act clarifies that RFRA cannot be used to defend discrimination in public settings or with federal funds.
The Equality Act does not alter or amend the RFRA standard for any other kinds of claims.
Federal civil rights laws and the United States Constitution provide many exemptions for religious organizations.
It bears stating again that the statutory exemptions that are , already in place in the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act will remain in place and the United States Constitution remains untouched.
Courts have long-rejected religious claims as a reason to deny civil rights protections, including those based on race and sex, and the same analysis applies to all other protected characteristics.
Specifically, religious belief did not exempt restaurants or hotels from complying with the civil rights laws passed in the 1960s and cannot do so today.
RFRA explicitly contemplates that Congress would exempt certain laws from its application.
The clarifying language in the Equality Act is necessary to ensure that courts do not misinterpret the intended interaction between RFRA and our civil rights laws.
RFRA will still be available to address burdens on religious beliefs and practices in other contexts.
And any individual or organization that is concerned that their religious beliefs or practices are being unjustly burdened retains the ability to bring a claim under the First Amendment.
The time has come to extend the full blessings of equality and the majesty of the law's protection to all our brothers and sisters, including those in the LGBTQ community.
Madam Speaker, it been said that ``the moral arc of the universe is long but bends toward justice.''
Today, with passage by this House of H.R. 5, the Equality Act of 2021, we bend that arc even more in the direction of justice.
I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this life-changing and life-affirming legislation and urge all members to stand on the right of history and vote for its passage.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, this bill does not affect Title IX and, consequently, religious freedom at all.
I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a number of documents. Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Washington, DC, February 25, 2021. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Representative: On behalf of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (hereinafter ``Lawyers'' Committee''), a nonpartisan civil rights organization formed at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination, we urge you to vote for the Equality Act (H.R. 5). The Equality Act would clarify that LGBTQ+ people are protected against discrimination in access to credit. housing, education, and employment under federal law, as well as to strengthen public accommodation antidiscrimination for all people.
The Lawyers' Committee strongly believes that the Equality Act is an essential step in fulfilling our nation's commitment to civil rights for all people. Unfortunately, discrimination is a persistent problem for millions of people in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly for those who also identify as people of color. Everyone in America, regardless of who they are, is entitled to equal rights and should be free to pursue career and educational opportunities and live their daily lives free from discrimination.
Black Americans and other people of color continue to face persistent discrimination while engaging in commonplace transactions, errands, and tasks, such as shopping and accessing transportation like taxis and car services. The Equality Act would finally make this discrimination illegal, as it strengthens the public accommodations provision in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Congress must act now to pass the Equality Act to clarify and strengthen federal civil rights protections so everyone across the country can engage in public life without the fear of harassment or discrimination because of who they are.
As Congress considers this important bill, we are committed to ensuring the Equality Act does solely what it was intended to do: clarify and strengthen existing federal civil rights protections for everyone in America. We strongly oppose any effort to weaken any existing federal civil rights law the Equality Act would amend.
We urge you to vote for final passage of the Equality Act because no one in our country should be discriminated against for who they are. It is time for Congress to clarify and strengthen federal civil rights protections for all Americans. Respectfully submitted, Damon T. Hewitt, Acting President & Executive Director, Executive Vice President, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Erinn D. Martin, Policy Counsel, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. ____ American Bar Association, Chicago, IL, February 23, 2021. RE: ABA Support for H.R. 5, The Equality Act of 2021. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy: On behalf of the American Bar Association and its over 400.000 members. I am writing to voice our support for H.R. 5. The Equality Act of 2021. which addresses the need to protect every American regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We offer the following comments in support of the legislation and request that this letter be made part of the hearing record.
The Equality Act will include LGBTQ+ people in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Over 50 years ago, when this landmark civil rights legislation was enacted, a minority group was omitted; this needs to be rectified. Currently, the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals depend on the state where they reside, and in close to 30 states, LGBTQ+ people are at risk of being denied housing, credit. services, public accommodations, education, employment, access to their children, access to federally funded programs, or jury service simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
There is bipartisan support for the Equality Act, and 70 percent of Americans support equal rights for LGBTQ+. When the Equality Act was introduced in the last Congress, it received unprecedented support from businesses and more than 500 national and statewide organizations.
In 2018, the ABA adopted a resolution specifically supporting enactment of the Equality Act. Let me elaborate on our reasons for supporting this important legislation:
1. The Equality Act will protect LGBTQ+ people from workplace discrimination because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. The Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. They will both be amended to include, ``sex, (including sexual orientation, and gender identity).''
Every day LGBTQ+ employees, co-workers, and job applicants are subjected to discrimination in the workplace. Other social groups have been protected by legislation, yet the LGBTQ+ community has not been included even though their livelihood, careers, and quality of life are equally affected.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces federal laws that protect job applicants or employees from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. In EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, the EEOC filed a lawsuit against Harris Family Funeral Homes on behalf of Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman who was fired shortly after telling her employer she was transgender. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that Title VII prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, thus applying to businesses claiming exemption based on anti-LGBTQ+ religious beliefs. In 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States heard Harris consolidated with Bostock v. Clayton County, and in a landmark ruling, upheld the Sixth Circuit decision affirming that LGBTQ+ employees are entitled to legal protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Equality Act will codify this case law making discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in the workplace unlawful by explicitly stating that sexual orientation and gender identity are protected traits.
2. The Equality Act will prevent LGBTQ+ people from being denied services and public accommodations because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in public accommodations based on race, color, religion, or national origin. However, it is currently legal in almost 30 states to deny LGBTQ+ people services without cause and bar them from public accommodations such as hotels, restaurants, and libraries.
In Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, school board policy prohibited plaintiff from using the restrooms that aligned with his gender identity. In 2015, Grimm filed a lawsuit challenging the policy, on the grounds that it violates his rights under Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the school board's restroom policy constitutes sex-based discrimination, and that transgender individuals constitute a quasi-suspect class. Applying heightened scrutiny, the court held that the school board's policy is not substantially related to its important interest in protecting students' privacy and that, in regard to the Title IX claims, the restroom policy discriminated against plaintiff on the basis of sex, and that he suffered legally cognizable harm based on the unlawful discrimination. The Equality Act is necessary to codify this ruling for the entire country. Denying public accommodations to LGBTQ+ individuals is harmful to their health and dignity, and precludes them from fully participating in public life.
In addition to places of public accommodation already included in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Equality Act will revise the law to ensure that other providers of products, services, and public accommodations, such as stores, accountant firms, transportation, and banks, may not discriminate against a protected social group.
3. The Equality Act will prevent LGBTQ+ people from being denied or evicted from housing based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
The Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing by landlords, real estate agents, municipalities, banks, other lending institutions, and homeowner's insurance companies based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or disability.
LGBTQ+ individuals may be rejected when trying to purchase or rent a home. LGBTQ+ people can face eviction, which may have financial and legal consequences. A partner's request to be added to the insurance of a homeowner may be rejected which could affect the property title.
In Smith v. Avanti, a landlord in Colorado refused to rent to a same-sex couple, one of whom was also transgender. The United States District Court stated that the property owner violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. This was the first time a federal court, placing sexual orientation and gender identity under the umbrella of sex discrimination, has ruled that anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination violated the Fair Housing Act.
Since homelessness is more prevalent in the LGBTQ+ community than in the general population, enactment of the Equality Act can help lower rates of housing insecurity.
4. The Equality Act will ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals are not denied credit based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age with respect to credit transactions. The Equality Act will amend ECOA to include ``sexual orientation'' and ``gender identity'' as protected classes.
LGBTQ+ individuals are often denied credit and mortgages. The negative financial impact can mean that they are often unable to become homeowners, pursue higher education or vocational training, build assets, or purchase a car. By amending ECOA, the Equality Act will allow for equal access to credit, financial improvements, education, and affordable housing.
5. The Equality Act will protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in jury service.
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects the right of a criminal defendant to a jury selection process free from racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination. When LGBTQ+ people are unfairly dismissed from jury service, there is no recourse in the justice system.
The Equality Act will protect the integrity of the jury selection process for the defendant, as well as the rights of the LGBTQ+ jurors.
The American Bar Association believes that everyone deserves equal protection under the law. Nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ Americans reported that they have experienced discrimination in their everyday lives. We urge Congress to pass legislation explicitly affirming that discrimination due to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex stereotyping, is sex discrimination prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, among other federal statutes, and to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression protections in those statutes.
Thank you for this opportunity to convey the ABA's position on this important legislation. Sincerely, Patricia Lee Refo. ____ The Business Coalition for the Equality Act The Business Coalition for the Equality Act is a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Equality Act, which would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people under our existing civil rights laws.
Launched in March 2016, the 337 member companies of HRC's Business Coalition for the Equality Act have operations in all 50 states, headquarters spanning 33 states and a combined $5.9 trillion in revenue, and employ over 12.9 million people in the United States.
3M Company, Saint Paul, MN; A.T. Kearney Inc., Chicago, IL; ABB Inc., Carey, NC; Abercrombie & Fitch Co., New Albany, OH; Accenture, New York, NY; Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, CA; Advance Auto Parts (Advance Holding), Raleigh, NC; ADP, Roseland, NJ; Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Sunnyvale, CA; Airbnb Inc., San Francisco, CA; Airbus, Herndon, VA; Alaska Airlines, Seattle, WA; Albertsons Companies, Boise, ID; Alcoa Corp., Pittsburgh, PA; AlixPartners LLP, New York, NY; Alliance Data Systems Corporation, Columbus, OH; Ally Financial Inc., Detroit, MI; Altice USA Inc., Long Island City, NY; Altria Group Inc., Richmond, VA; Amalgamated Bank, New York, NY; Amazon.com Inc., Seattle, WA; American Airlines, Fort Worth, TX; American Eagle Outfitters Inc., Pittsburgh, PA; American Express Company, New York, NY; American Express Global Business Travel, Jersey City, NJ; American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Torrance, CA; Ameriprise Financial, Inc., Minneapolis, MN; AMN Healthcare, San Diego, CA; Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA; Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA; Arconic, New York, NY; Asana, San Francisco, CA; Ascena Retail Group Inc., Mahwah, NJ; Aspen Skiing Company LLC, Aspen, CO; Asurion LLC, Nashville, TN; AT&T Inc., Dallas, TX; Atlassian, San Francisco, CA; Avnet, Inc., Phoenix, AZ; AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, New York, NY.
Bain & Co. Inc./Bridgespan Group, Boston, MA; Bank of America Corp., Charlotte, NC; Bayer U.S. LLC, Whippany, NJ; BASF Corp., Florham Park, NJ; BD, Franklin Lakes, NJ; Best Buy Co. Inc., Richfield, MN; Biogen, Cambridge, MA; BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., San Rafael, CA; Bird Rides Inc., Santa Monica, CA; BNP Paribas, New York, NY; Boehringer lngelheim USA Corp., Ridgefield, CT; Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, VA; Boston Scientific Corp., Marlborough, MA; Box Inc., Redwood City, CA; Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., Nashville, TN; Bright Horizons, Watertown, MA; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., New York, NY; Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc., Lake Success, NY; Brown-Forman Corp., Louisville, KY; Brown Rudnick LLP, Boston, MA; Buckley LLP, Washington, DC.
Caesars Entertainment Corp., Las Vegas, NV; California Water Service Group, San Jose, CA; Capital One Financial Corp., McLean, VA; Cardinal Health Inc., Dublin, OH; Cargill Inc., Wayzata, MN; Cengage Learning Inc., Boston, MA; Chevron Corp., San Ramon, CA; Chobani, Norwich, NY; Choice Hotels International Inc., Rockville, MD; Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, CA; Citigroup Inc., New York, NY; Citrix Systems Inc., Fort Lauderdale, FL; CME Group Inc., Chicago, IL; CNA Financial Corporation, Chicago, IL; Coca-Cola Co., The, Atlanta, GA; Compass, New York, NY; Compass Bancshares Inc. (BBVA Compass), Birmingham, AL; Converse Inc., Boston, MA; Corning, Corning, NY; Corteva Agriscience, Wilmington, DE; Coty Inc., New York, NY; Cox Enterprises Inc., Atlanta, GA; CSAA Insurance Group, Walnut Creek, CA; Cummins Inc., Columbus, IN; CVS Health Corp., Woonsocket, RI.
Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc. New York, NY; Danone North America, White Plains, NY; Day Pitney LLP, Parsippany, NJ; Darden Restaurants Inc., Orlando, FL; Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, New York, NY; Deloitte LLP, New York, NY; Dell Technologies Inc., Round Rock, TX; Delta Air Lines Inc., Atlanta, GA; Depository Trust & Clearing Corp., The, New York, NY; Deutsche Bank, New York, NY; Diageo North America, Norwalk, CT; Domino's Pizza, Ann Arbor, MI; Dow Chemical Co., The, Midland, MI; Dropbox Inc., San Francisco, CA.
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DuPont), Wilmington, DE; Eastern Bank Corp., Boston, MA; Eaton Corp., Cleveland, OH; eBay Inc., San Jose, CA; Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, MN; Edison International, Rosemead, CA; EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma, & EMD Performance Materials, Burlington, MA; Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, MO; Empower Retirement, Greenwood Village, CO; Ericsson Inc, Plano, TX; Ernst & Young LLP, New York, NY; Estee Lauder Companies Inc., The, New York, NY; E*TRADE Financial Corp., New York, NY; Evolent Health Inc., Arlington, VA; Exelon Corp., Chicago, IL; Expedia Group, Bellevue, WA.
Facebook Inc., Menlo Park, CA; FactSet Research Systems Inc., Norwalk, CT; First Data Corp., Atlanta, GA; Food Lion, Salisbury, NC; Fossil Group Inc., Richardson, TX; Fiserv Inc., Brookfield, WI.
Gap Inc., San Francisco, CA; General Electric Co., Boston, MA; General Mills Inc., Minneapolis, MN; General Motors Co., Detroit, MI; GIANT Food Stores LLC, Carlisle, PA; Giant of Maryland LLC, Landover, MD; Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, CA; Glassdoor Inc., Mill Valley, CA; GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC; GoDaddy Inc., Scottsdale, AZ; Google Inc., Mountain View, CA; Great River Energy, Maple Grove, MN; Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, The, New York, NY; Guidehouse Inc., Chicago, IL; Gusto, San Francisco, CA.
Halstead Real Estate, New York, NY; Hannaford Supermarkets, Scarborough, ME; HERE North America LLC, Chicago, IL; Hershey Co., The, Hershey, PA; Hess Corp., New York, NY; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Palo Alto, CA; Hilton Inc., McLean, VA; Hiscox USA, New York, NY; Hogan Lovells US LLP, Washington, DC; Holland & Knight LLP, Miami, FL; Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., Bethesda, MD; HP Inc., Palo Alto, CA; HSF Affiliates LLC, Irvine, CA; HSN Inc., St. Petersburg, FL; Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, New York, NY; Hyatt Hotels Corp., Chicago, IL.
IBM Corp., Armonk, NY; IDEX Corp., Lake Forest, IL; IHS Markit Ltd., New York, NY; IKEA Holding US Inc., Conshohocken, PA; Information Resources Inc., Chicago, IL; Ingersoll-Rand Company, Davidson, NC; Ingram Micro, Irvine, CA; Insight Enterprises Inc., Tempe, AZ; Intel Corp., Santa Clara, CA; InterContinental Hotels Group Americas, Atlanta, GA; International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., New York NY; Iron Mountain Inc., Boston, MA.
Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., Dallas, TX; Jenner & Block LLP, Chicago, IL; John Hancock Financial Services Inc., Boston, MA; Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ; JPMorgan Chase & Co., New York, NY; JSX, Dallas, TX; Juniper Networks Inc., Sunnyvale, CA.
Kabbage Inc., Atlanta, GA; Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA; Keep Truckin Inc., San Francisco, CA; Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, MI; Keller Williams Realty Inc., Austin, TX; Kenneth Cole Productions Inc., New York, NY; KeyCorp, Cleveland, OH; KIND LLC, New York, NY; Knot Worldwide, The, Chevy Chase, MD; KPMG LLP, New York, NY.
Lendlease Americas Inc., New York, NY; Levi Strauss & Co., San Francisco, CA; Linden Research Inc., Davis, CA; Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC, Jersey City, NJ; Lowenstein Sandler LLP, New York, NY; Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Wilmington, NC; Lyft Inc., San Francisco, CA.
Macy's Inc., Cincinnati, OH; ManpowerGroup, Milwaukee, WI; Marriott International Inc., Bethesda, MD; Mars Inc., McLean, VA; Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., New York, NY; Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., Springfield, MA; Mastercard, Purchase, NY; McAfee, Santa Clara, CA; McCormick & Company, Inc., Hunt Valley, MD; McKesson Corporation, Las Colinas, TX; McKinstry Co. LLC, Seattle, WA; Medtronic PLC, Minneapolis, MN; Merck, Kenilworth, NJ; Meredith Corp., Des Moines, IA; MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas, NV; Micron Technology Inc., Boise, ID; Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA; Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Taylorsville, NC; Mondelez International Inc., Deerfield, IL; Moody's Corp., New York, NY; Molson Coors LLC, Chicago, IL; Morgan Stanley, New York, NY; Morningstar Inc., Chicago, IL; Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, Atlanta, GA.
Nasdaq Inc., New York, NY; National Grid USA, Waltham, MA; Nationwide, Columbus, OH; Navient, Wilmington, DE; Nestle, Arlington, VA; Netflix Inc., Los Gatos, CA; New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, CO; Nielsen, New York, NY; Nike Inc., Beaverton, OR; Nordstrom Inc., Seattle, WA; Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA; NortonLifeLock, Mountain View, CA; Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church, VA; Nuance Communications, Burlington, MA.
Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., Lakeville-Middleboro, MA; Office Depot Inc., Boca Raton, FL; Oracle Corp., Redwood City, CA; Owens Corning, Toledo, OH.
Palo Alto Networks, Santa Clara, CA; Patreon Inc., San Francisco, CA; Pariveda Solutions Inc., Dallas, TX; Paul Hastings LLP, Los Angeles, CA; PayPal Holdings Inc., San Jose, CA; Peloton Interactive Inc, New York, NY; PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, NY; PetSmart Inc., Phoenix, AZ; Pfizer Inc., New York, NY; PG&E Corp., San Francisco, CA; Philip Morris International, New York, NY; Pinterest Inc., San Francisco, CA; Pioneer Natural Resources, Irving, TX; PNC Financial Services Group Inc., The, Pittsburgh, PA; Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, Columbus, OH; Power Home Remodeling Group LLC, Chester, PA; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, New York, NY; Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, IA; Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, OH; Pure Storage Inc., Mountain View, CA; PVH Corp., New York, NY.
QUALCOMM Inc., San Diego, CA; QIAGEN, Germantown, MD.
Realogy Holdings Corp., Madison, NJ; Redfin Corp., Seattle, WA; Red Hat Inc., Raleigh, NC; RE/MAX LLC, Denver, CO; Replacements Ltd., McLeansville, NC; Rockwell Automation Inc., Milwaukee, WI; Royal Bank of Canada, New York, NY.
S&P Global Inc., New York, NY; Salesforce, San Francisco, CA; SAP America Inc., Newtown Square, PA; Seagate Technology plc, Cupertino, CA; Sheppard, Mullin, Richter, & Hampton LLP, Los Angeles, CA; Shire PLC, Lexington, MA; Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, Kansas City, MO; Shutterstock Inc., New York, NY; Siemens Corp., Washington, DC; Sodexo Inc., Gaithersburg, MD; Sony Electronics Inc., San Diego, CA; Southwest Airlines Co., Dallas, TX; Spotify USA Inc., New York, NY; Square Inc., San Francisco, CA; Stanley Black & Decker Inc., New Britain, CT; Starbucks Corp., Seattle, WA; Steelcase Inc., Grand Rapids, MI; SUEZ Water Technologies and Solutions, Trevose, PA; Sun Life U.S., Wellesley Hills, MA; Sunrun Inc., San Francisco, CA; SurveyMonkey Inc., San Mateo, CA; Synchrony, Stamford, CT; Sysco, Houston, TX.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Deerfield, IL; Target Corp., Minneapolis, MN; TD Ameritrade, Omaha, Omaha, NE; TD Bank, N.A., Cherry Hill, NJ; Tech Data Corp., Clearwater, FL; TEGNA Inc., McLean, VA; Tesla Inc., Palo Alto, CA; Teva Pharmaceuticals, North Wales, PA; Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA; TIAA, New York, NY; T-Mobile USA Inc., Bellevue, WA; Toyota Motor North America Inc., Plano, TX; TPG Global LLC, Fort Worth, TX; TransUnion, Chicago, IL; TripAdvisor Inc., Needham, MA; Truist Financial Corporation, Charlotte, NC; Turner Construction Co., New York, NY; Twitter Inc., San Francisco, CA.
U.S. Bancorp, Minneapolis, MN; Uber Technologies Inc., San Francisco, CA; Ultimate Software, Weston, FL; Under Armour Inc., Baltimore, MD; Unilever, Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Union Pacific Railroad, Ohama, NE; United Airlines, Chicago, IL; United Parcel Service Inc., Atlanta, GA; Univar Solutions, Inc., Downers Grove, IL; Univision Communications Inc., New York, NY.
Vanguard Group Inc., Malvern, PA; Verizon Communications Inc., New York, NY; Viiv Healthcare, Research Triangle Park, NC; Visa, Foster City, CA.
Warby Parker, New York, NY; Warner Music Group, New York, NY; WE Communications, Bellevue, WA; Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Des Moines, IA; Wells Fargo & Co., San Francisco, CA; Western Digital, San Jose, CA; Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, MI; Williams-Sonoma Inc., San Francisco, CA; Workday Inc., Pleasanton, CA; Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc., Parsippany, NJ.
Xcel Energy Inc., Minneapolis, MN; Xerox Corp., Norwalk, CT; Xperi, San Jose, CA; Xylem Inc., Rye Brook, NY.
Yelp Inc., San Francisco, CA; Yext Inc., New York, NY.
Zillow Group, Seattle, WA; Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc., Warsaw, IN. ____ Equality Act--Associations Endorsing The Equality Act NATIONAL AND STATE ASSOCIATIONS
Act--The App Association, AdvaMed, Aerospace Industries Association, American Benefits Council, American Chemistry Council, American Cleaning Institute, American Coatings Association, Inc., American Hotel & Lodging Association, American Pet Products Association, American Petroleum Institute, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Society of Association Executives, Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, Auto Care Association.
Biotechnology Innovation Organization, BSA--The Software Alliance, Business Roundtable, College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, Compressed Gas Association, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Consumer Technology Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition, Edison Electric Institute, Federation of American Hospitals, Financial Executives International, Food Marketing Institute, Fragrance Creators Association, Grocery Manufacturers Association, Household & Commercial Products Association, HR Policy Association. NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), International Council of Shopping Centers, International Franchise Association, Internet Association, Jackson Area Manufacturers Association, Michigan Manufacturers Association, Missouri Association of Manufacturers, Nareit, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Association of Manufacturers, National Association of Realtors, National Investor Relations Institute, National Leased Housing Association, National Multifamily Housing Council, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, National Safety Council, National Venture Capital Association, National Waste & Recycling Association.
NC Chamber, New Jersey Business & Industry Association, Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Personal Care Products Council, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Power Transmission Distributors Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Retail Industry Leaders Association, Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates, Society for Human Resource Management, Solar Energy Industries Association, Sports & Fitness Industry Association, The Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products, The ERISA Industry Committee, The National Multifamily Housing Council, The Ohio Manufacturers' Association, The Real Estate Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ____
Equality Act--631 Organizations Endorsing the Equality Act National Organizations
9to5, National Association of Working Women, A Better Balance, A. Philip Randolph Institute, ACRIA, ADAP Advocacy Association, Advocates for Youth, AFGE, AFL-CIO, African American Ministers In Action, The AIDS Institute, AIDS United, Alan and Leslie Chambers Foundation, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity, American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Atheists, American Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union, American Conference of Cantors, American Counseling Association, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers, American Heart Association, American Humanist Association, American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, American Psychological Association, American School Counselor Association, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, amfAR, Foundation for AIDS Research, Anti-Defamation League, Arab American Institute, Ariadne Getty Foundation, Asian Americans Advancing Justice
BALM Ministries, Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Black and Pink, BPFNA--Bautistas por la Paz, Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBTQ Interests.
Caring Across Generations, Catholics for Choice, Center for American Progress, Center for Black Equity, Center for Disability Rights, Center for Inclusivity, Center for Inquiry, Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies, Centerlink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Chicago Theological Seminary, Child Welfare League of America, Clearinghouse on Women's Issues, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Communications Workers of America, Community Access National Network (CANN), Consortium for Children, Council for Global Equality, Covenant Network of Presbyterians.
DignityUSA, Disciples Justice Action Network, Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF).
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), End Rape on Campus, The Episcopal Church, Equal Rights Advocates, Equality Federation, Estuary Space, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Faith in Public Life, Family Equality, Feminist Majority, The Fenway Institute, FORGE, Inc., Forward Together, Freedom Center for Social Justice, Freedom for All Americans, Friends Council on Education.
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), Gay Parent Magazine, Gender Spectrum, Generation Progress, Georgetown University Law Center--Civil Rights Clinic, Girls Inc., GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, Global Justice Institute, Metropolitan Community Churches, GLSEN, Guttmacher Institute.
Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc., Harm Reduction Coalition, HealthHIV, Hindu American Foundation, Hispanic Federation, Hispanic Health Network, HIV Medicine Association, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch.
Impact Fund, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, The Inanna Project, Indivisible, Integrity USA: Episcopal Rainbow, Interfaith Alliance, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW).
Japanese American Citizens League, Jewish Women International, Justice in Aging.
Keshet.
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Lake Research Partners, Lambda Legal, Latino Commission on AIDS, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, League of United Latin American Citizens, Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association (LGVMA), LGBT Technology Partnership & Institute.
Main Street Alliance, MANA, A National Latina Organization, Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice, Matthew Shepard Foundation, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, Meadville Lombard Theological School, Men of Reform Judaism, MECCA Institute, Methodist Federation for Social Action, Metropolitan Community Churches, Modern Military Association of America, MomsRising, More Light Presbyterians, Movement Advancement Project, Muslim Advocates, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Muslims for Progressive Values.
NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, NARAL Pro- Choice America, NASTAD (National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors), National AIDS Housing Coalition, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE), National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Association of Counsel for Children, National Association for Female Executives, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of School Superintendents, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of Social Workers, National Black Justice Coalition, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Center for Youth Law, National Center on Adoption and Permanency, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD), National Coalition for LGBT Health, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH), National Council of Jewish Women, National Crittenton, National Education Association, National Employment Law Project, National Employment Lawyers Association, National Fair Housing Alliance, National Health Law Program, National Hispanic Media Coalition, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National Latinx Psychological Association, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, The National LGBTQ Workers Center, National Organization for Women, National Partnership for Women & Families, National PTA, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), National Taskforce on Tradeswomen Issues, National Trans Bar Association, National Urban League, National Women's Health Network, National Women's Law Center, NEAT--National Equality Action Team, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, New Ways Ministry, NMAC, North American Council on Adoptable Children.
OCA--Asian Pacific American Advocates, Office & Professional Employees International Union, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, OutServe--SLDN, Oxfam America.
Parity, People For the American Way, PFLAG National, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Connection Action Fund, Positive Women's Network--USA, Pride at Work, Pride Fund 1, Promundo--US, Public Justice.
Rabbinical Assembly, Reconciling Ministries Network, ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation, Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Religious Institute, RootsAction, Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition.
SafeBAE, SAGE, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Secular Coalition for America, Secular Policy Institute, SER Jobs for Progress National Inc., Service Employees International Union, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), Slowinski Foundation--story.lgbt, Soulforce, Southern HIV/AIDS Strategy Initiative (SASI), The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS), SurvJustice.
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, TransFamily Support Services, Transgender Law Center, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, The TransLatin@ Coalition, Transport Workers Union of America, Treatment Action Group, The Trevor Project, True Colors United, The Tyler Clementi Foundation, The United Methodist Church--General Board of Church and Society.
UFCW OUTreach, Ultraviolet, UMForward, (un)common good collective, UnidosUS, Union = Fuerza Latinx Institute, Union for Reform Judaism, Union of Affirming Christians, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, Unitarian Universalist Association, Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, UNITE HERE International Union, United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), United State of Women, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity.
Voice for Adoption, Voices for Progress, Vote Common Good, Greater Things, Voto Latino.
Whitman-Walker Health, The Williams Institute, Witness to Mass Incarceration, Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER).
Young Feminists & Allies: National Organization for Women's (NOW) Inaugural Virtual Chapter. State and Local Organizations alaska
Alaskans Together For Equality
Identity, Inc. alabama
AIDS Alabama
Bayard Rustin Community Center
Equality Alabama
Rainbow Mobile arkansas
Northwest Arkansas Equality, Inc. arizona
Arizona Coalition to End Sexual & Domestic Violence
Equality Arizona california
one-n-ten
9to5 California
Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center
Bienestar Human Services
California Employment Lawyers Association
California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network
The Center for Sexuality & Gender Diversity
Common Space
The Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County
Diversity Collective Community Resource Center
Diversity Collective Ventura County
Equality California
Family Builders by Adoption
Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast
Girls Inc. of Alameda County
Girls Inc. of the Central Coast
Hollywood NOW
Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center
Latino Equality Alliance
Legal Aid At Work
LGBT Center OC
LGBT Community Center of the Desert
LGBTQ Campus Life (I), California Polytechnic State University
The LGBTQ Center Long Beach
LGBTQ+ Center of Riverside County
The LGBTQ Center of the Desert
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Mi Centro LGBTQ Community Center/Latino Eq. Alliance
Missiongathering Christian Church
North County LGBTQ Resource Center
Oakland LGBTQ Community Center
Pacific Center for Human Growth
Pacific Pride Foundation
PFLAG Los Angeles
The GALA Pride and Diversity Center, San Luis Obispo
ISM-Q LGBT & Allies Resource Center
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Right--California
Sacramento LGBT Community Center
San Bernardino LGBTQ Center
San Diego LGBT Community Center
San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center
SF LGBT Center
Solano Pride Center
The Source LGBT+ Center
The Spahr Center
Stonewall Democratic Club
TransFamily Support Services
Uptown Gay and Lesbian Alliance (UG) colorado
9to5 Colorado
The Center on Colfax
Inside/Out Youth Services
One Colorado
Out Boulder County
Queer Asterisk
Rocky Mountain CES connecticut
New Haven Pride Center
Triangle Community Center Inc.
True Colors, Inc. district of columbia
Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project
The DC Center for the LGBT Community
GLAA
SMYAL
Trans-Latinx DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) delaware
CAMP Rehoboth
Equality Delaware
Girls Inc. of Delaware florida
The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth
ALSO Youth
The Center Kissimmee
Compass LGBTQ Community Center
Equality Florida
Girls Inc. of Bay County
Girls Inc. of Sarasota County
JASMYN
LGBT+ Center Orlando, Inc.
LGBT+ Family & Games
LGBTQ Center of Bay County
Metro Community Center
Naples Pride
The Pride Center at Equality Park
Pride Community Center of North Central Florida
Pridelines
PRISM, Inc.
QLatinx
Safe Schools South Florida
St Pete Pride
SunServe
Visuality, Inc.
Zebra Coalition georgia
9to5 Georgia
Atlanta Pride Committee
Georgia Equality
Girls Inc. of Columbus and Phenix-Russell
Lake Oconee Community Church
Young Democrats of Georgia
Young Democrats of Georgia LGBTQ Caucus iowa
Adair Co GLBT Resource Center
Girls Inc. of Sioux City
One Iowa idaho
All Under One Roof illinois
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Arab American Family Services
Association of Latinos/as/X Motivating Action
Bolingbrook Pride
CAAN Joliet
Center on Halsted
Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network, Life Span, & Resilience
Chicago House and Social Service Agency
Clock, Inc
Elmhurst Pride Collective
Equality Illinois
Howard Brown Health
Illinois Accountability Initiative
The Liam Foundation
Lighthouse Foundation
Naper Pride Inc.
PFLAG Rockford
Phoenix Center
The Pinta Pride Project
Pride Action Tank
Quad Citians Affirming Diversity
Resilience, formerly Rape Victim Advocates
United Latinx Pride
Women Employed indiana
Girls Inc. of Shelbyville & Shelby County
Girls Inc. of Wayne County
Indiana RCRC
Indiana Youth Group
Spencer Pride, Inc.
Spencer Pride CommUnity center kentucky
Fairness Campaign
Kentucky Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Louisville Youth Group Inc.
Pride Community Services Organization louisiana
Forum for Equality
Louisiana Progress Action
Louisiana Trans Advocates massachusetts
BAGLY, Inc. (Boston Alliance of LGBTQ Youth)
Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell
Girls Inc. of the Valley
Girls Inc. of Worcester
JALSA
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
MassEquality
NAGLY (North Shore Alliance of GLBTQ Youth)
OUT MetroWest maryland
The Frederick Center
FreeState Justice
Gender Rights Maryland
Girls Inc. of Washington County
The Montgomery County LGBT Business Council
Pride Center of Maryland
Public Justice Center
Ricky's Pride maine
EqualityMaine michigan
Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center
Equality Michigan
Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce
Great Lakes Bay Pride
Jackson Pride Center
LGBT Detroit
OutCenter of Southwest Michigan
OutFront Kalamazoo
Polestar LGBT Community Center of Traverse City
Ruth Ellis Center, Inc.
SAGE Metro Detroit
Stand with Trans
Transgender Michigan minnesota
Gender Justice
OutFront MN missouri
The GLO Center
Mid-Missouri Center Project, Inc.
PROMO
St. Louis Effort for AIDS montana
Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Montana Gay Men's Task Force
Montana Two Spirit Society
Western Monta LGBTQ Community Center north carolina
Blue Ridge Pride Center, Inc.
Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice
Equality North Carolina
Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center
Latinos in the Deep South
LGBT Center of Raleigh
National Organization for Women Charlotte chapter
Northstar LGBTQ Community Center
Onslow County LGBTQ+ Community Center
Time Out Youth
Youth OUTright WNC, Inc. north dakota
North Dakota Human Rights Coalition nebraska
OutNebraska nevada
Colors+ new hampshire
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Seacoast Outright (NH/ME) new jersey
Garden State Equality
Hudson Pride Center
Ours Institute--Pride Institute of Southern New Jersey
Pride Center of New Jersey new mexico
Equality New Mexico
Girls Inc. of Santa Fe
Human Rights Alliance
KWH Law Center for Social Justice & Change
Southwest Women's Law Center
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
Tewa Women United new york
Asian American Federation
Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AA) of UAW 2325,
LGBTQ+ Caucus
Brooklyn Community Pride Center
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
CANDLE
Destination Tomorrow: The Bronx LGBT Center
Empire State Pride Agenda
Equality New York
Fairness Alliance and Information Resources of New York Inc.
Family Counseling Services of the Finger Lakes, Inc.
Forefront Church NYC
Gay & Lesbian Independent Democrats (GLID)
Gender Equality Law Center
Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center
In Our Own Voices
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Cty Center
LGBT Bar Association of New York
LGBT Network/Long Island LGBT Community Center
LGBT Network/Queens LGBT Community Center
The LGBTQ Center of the Finger Lakes
The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center
MinKwon Center for Community Action
Out Alliance
Pride Center of Staten Island
Pride Center of the Capital Region
Pride Center of Western New York
Rockland County Pride Center
Sakhi for South Asian Women
Theatre of the Oppressed NYC
VillageCare
The Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County, Inc. nevada
Colors+
Equality Nevada
The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of So. Nevada
Henderson Equality Center
The LGBTQ Community Center of Southern Nevada
OUR Center
Silver State Equality--Nevada ohio
Equality Ohio
Greater Dayton LGBT Center
Latitude, a community center by Harvey House
LGBT Center at Ohio University
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Stonewall Columbus
TransOhio
Dennis R. Neill Equality Center oklahoma
Freedom Oklahoma
Oklahomans for Equality oregon
Basic Rights Oregon
Cascade AIDS Project
Christ Church: Portland
Equality Community Center
Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest
Lower Columbia Q Center
Oregon Abuse Advocat Survivors in Service pennsylvania
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Eastern PA Trans Equity Project
Greater Erie Alliance for Equality, Inc
Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation
LGBT Center of Central PA
LGBT Center of Greater Reading
LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County
Mazzoni Center
The Montgomery County LGBT Business Council
Ni-ta-nee NOW (Centre County, PA)
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice
Persad Center
PFLAG York
PGH Equality Center
Philadelphia Family Pride
Proud Haven
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice
Rainbow Rose Center, York County LGBTQ+ Resource Center
SAGA Community Center
TriVersity--The UDGLBT Center
Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, Inc.
William Way LGBT Community Center
Women's Law Project
New Voices for Reproductive Justice puerto rico
Waves Ahead & SAGE Puerto Rico
Waves Ahead Corp Puerto Rico rhode island
Adoption Rhode Island south carolina
Pride Link
Uplift Outreach Center
Women's Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN) south dakota
Equality South Dakota tennessee
Girls Inc. of TN Valley
OUTMemphis
Tennessee Equality Project texas
ADL Southwest Region
The Afiya Center
American Association of University Women Texas (AAUW Texas)
Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ
Equality Texas
Esperanza Peace and Justice Center
the Montrose Center
Open Arms Rape Crisis Center & LGBT+ Services
Pride Center San Antonio
Pride Center West Texas
Pride Community Center
QWELL Community Foundation
Resource Center
Texas Freedom Network
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) utah
Equality Utah
Utah Pride Center virginia
Diversity Richmond
Equality Virginia
LGBT Life Center
Lynchburg Diversity Center
NAKASEC Virginia
Side by Side
Shenandoah LGBTQ Center vermont
Pride Center Vermont
Outright Vermont washington
Entre Hermanos
Equal Rights Washington
Gay City: Seattle's LGBTQ Center
Gender Justice League
Legal Voice
Oasis Youth Center
Rainbow Center wisconsin
9to5 Wisconsin
AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin
The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection
Fair Wisconsin
LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin
OutReach LGBT Community Center
The MKE LGBT Community Center
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault west virginia
Ohio Valley Pride Community Center ____ Faith for Equality
100+ Faith-Based Organizations Endorsing the Equality Act
1. African American Ministers in Action
2. Alliance of Baptists
3. American Conference of Cantors
4. Anti-Defamation League
5. Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists
6. Auburn Seminary
7. Avodah
8. BALM Ministries
9. Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative
10. Bend the Arc Jewish Action
11. Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBTQ Interests
12. Carolina Jews for Justice
13. Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ
14. Catholics for Choice
15. Central Conference of American Rabbis
16. Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice
17. Chicago Theological Seminary
18. Christ Church: Portland
19. Covenant Network of Presbyterians
20. Crosswalk Community Church
21. DignityUSA
22. Disciples Justice Action Network
23. Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance
24. Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation
25. Estuary Space
26. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
27. Faith in Public Life
28. Faithful America
29. First Baptist Church of Madison, WI
30. Forefront Church NYC
31. Freedom Center for Social Justice
32. Friends Council on Education
33. Global Justice Institute, Metropolitan Community Churches
34. Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
35. Hindu American Foundation
36. IGNITE MVMT
37. Indiana Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
38. Integrity USA: Episcopal Rainbow
39. Interfaith Alliance
40. Interfaith Alliance of Colorado
41. Iowa Unitarian Universalist Witness and Advocacy Network
42. Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA)
43. Jewish Women International
44. JUUstice Washington
45. Kentucky Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
46. Keshet
47. Lake Oconee Community Church
48. Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church of Oakland, CA
49. Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice
50. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
51. Meadville Lombard Theological School
52. MECCA Institute
53. Missiongathering Christian Church
54. Men of Reform Judaism
55. Methodist Federation for Social Action
56. Metropolitan Community Churches
57. Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network (MUUSJN)
58. More Light Presbyterians
59. Muslim Advocates
60. Muslim Public Affairs Council
61. Muslims for Progressive Values
62. National Council of Jewish Women
63. NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
64. New Hope Unitarian Universalist Congregation
65. New Ways Ministry
66. Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
67. Parity
68. Pennsylvania Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice
69. Rabbinical Assembly
70. Reconciling Ministries Network
71. ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation
72. Reconstructing Judaism
73. Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
74. Red Letter Christians
75. Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
76. Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights of California
77. Religious Institute
78. Soulforce
79. Starr King School for the Ministry
80. T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
81. The Episcopal Church
82. The Freedom Center for Social Justice
83. The United Methodist Church--General Board of Church and Society
84. UMForward
85. Union for Reform Judaism
86. Union of Affirming Christians
87. Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
88. Unitarian Universalist Action New Hampshire
89. Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois
90. Unitarian Universalist Association
91. Unitarian Universalist Justice Arizona
92. Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio
93. Unitarian Universalist Massachusetts State Action Network
94. Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina
95. Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
96. Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation
97. United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
98. United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
99. UU FaithAction NJ
100. Women of Reform Judaism
101. Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER) ____ National Council of Jewish Women, Washington, DC, February 24, 2021.
Dear Representative: I am writing on behalf of the 180,000 volunteers and advocates of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) to urge you to vote for HR 5, the Equality Act. NCJW believes in kavod habriyot, individual dignity. To that end, we are committed to the enactment, enforcement, and preservation of laws and regulations that protect civil rights and individual liberties for all.
The Equality Act, which passed the House of Representatives in the last Congress, would add explicit protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to our civil rights laws. The bill would also add and expand legal protections for women, people of color, and many other communities. Congress must pass the Equality Act to protect all individuals from discrimination regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
A majority of LGBTQ people have experienced harassment or discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. A 2020 study by the University of Chicago found that one in three LGBTQ Americans faced identity-based discrimination of some kind in the past year, with that number increasing to three in five for transgender people. Discrimination happens in the spheres of employment, education, housing, public accommodations, and health care-- every part of a person's life. LGBTQ people of color, immigrants, legal minors, and those with disabilities face even more barriers and biases.
NCJW supports the Equality Act not in spite of our religious beliefs, but because of them. We believe in the inherent dignity and worth of all people, including religiously and non-religiously affiliated people. Civil rights protections go hand in hand with religious freedom, and the bill does not require any person to change their religious beliefs nor does it compel religious institutions to participate in activities that violate the tenets of their faith.
All people deserve to live free from discrimination and fear regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. I urge you to vote for final passage of the Equality Act. Sincerely, Jody Rabhan, Chief Policy Officer, National Council of Jewish Women. ____ February 24, 2021. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy: The undersigned trade and professional associations write in support of H.R. 5, the Equality Act. Equality of opportunity is a key pillar of our great democracy--one that allows all people to pursue their American Dream--and part of what makes our nation exceptional. Our industries, representing and employing tens of millions of Americans, understand this basic fact and have been at the forefront of efforts to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace.
H.R. 5 would amend several provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide affirmative, statutory non- discrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans both in the workplace and in the community. These protections remain vitally important even after the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. Only legislative action can forestall endless litigation, alleviate the untenable patchwork of state laws governing this form of discrimination, and make clear that discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity is unwelcome and unlawful in our society.
In 2019, the Equality Act was introduced on a bipartisan basis in both the House and Senate, and it passed the House with a bipartisan majority. We urge you again to support the passage of H.R. 5. Sincerely,
Accessories Council, AAHOAAsian American Hotel Owners Association, ACTThe App Association, AdvaMed, Aerospace Industries Association, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), American Benefits Council, American Chemistry Council, American Cleaning Institute.
American Herbal Products Association, American Hotel & Lodging Association, American Medical Association, American Retirement Association, American Society of Association Executives, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, BSAThe Software Alliance, College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
Consumer Brands Association, Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), Consumer Technology Association, Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Edison Electric Institute, Financial Executives International, FMIThe Food Industry Association, Fragrance Creators, Household & Commercial Products Association, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI).
International Franchise Association, Internet Association, Nareit, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Association of Manufacturers, National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), National Leased Housing Association (NLHA), National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation.
National Safety Council, National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors, Personal Care Products Council, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Retail Industry Leaders Association, The Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products, The Latino Coalition, The Real Estate Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney).
Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I was thinking about my kids as I walked onto the floor today, and I have just one question to those who today, with their votes, would seek to perpetuate legal discrimination against millions of American families, including mine.
Why are they afraid to just say what they really believe? Why hide behind the ridiculous, embarrassing, easily debunked arguments, falsehoods, fearmongering about locker rooms and women's sports and religious practices that will never be harmed? Why not just say what they really mean?
I tell you what, Madam Speaker, I will say it for them. Their real argument, the only honest argument, is that they believe LGBT people are morally inferior and that firing us should be permitted. They argue the longstanding protections we already provide in the civil rights laws for religious practice for some reason aren't good enough. Here they demand more capacity to hate on gay people than they would ever claim as a religious right to discriminate on the basis of race.
Would any opponent of this bill argue that their religion gives them the right to deny an African-American couple service at a restaurant? That is exactly the argument made on this floor 60 years ago when others, making so-called faith-based arguments, sought to defeat the civil rights laws in the first place.
The true argument is that their beliefs demand existing discrimination against LGBT people be allowed. That is their true argument. That is pro-discrimination.
Our argument is that discrimination is wrong and that it should not be permitted, and that the exercise of religion here can be protected just as we do in every other civil rights context--no more, no less.
It is no wonder, but it is sad, that they deny the truth of their position here. These same Members spread the incendiary lie that the election was stolen and play footsie with dangerous conspiracy groups who attacked this building. They tell us mask-wearing infringes on their rights despite a public health emergency.
They deny school shootings are real or that a plane hit the Pentagon. Let history record the vote today. One side votes for love.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres).
Mr. TORRES of New York. As a child of the Bronx who grew up in the projects, I was often too scared to come out of the closet, too blinded by fear to see clearly my own value, my own equality. My younger self could have never imagined standing on the floor of the House as a Member of Congress, voting for legislation that, if enacted, would make me equal in the eyes of the law.
As the first LGBTQ Afro-Latino Member of Congress, I feel palpably the weight of history on my shoulders. On behalf of my community, I am here to claim what discrimination denies: equal protection under the law.
Indeed, we are here to uphold the abiding truth of the American experiment, that we are all created equal and that none of us should be evicted, fired, or denied accommodations and services simply because of who we are and because of whom we love.
We are equal by nature, and we ought to be equal by law. The logic of equality is as simple as that.
Yesterday, a Member of Congress said that the Equality Act was ``disgusting, evil, immoral.'' I wish to set the record straight.
What is truly immoral and disgusting and evil is discrimination. It always has been, and it always will be. Discrimination denies us our deepest humanity. The profound degradation it causes has no place in a society that pledges liberty and justice for all.
So I hope that my colleagues, all of them, will find the moral courage to uphold what the Declaration of Independence promises and what the Equality Act delivers: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all of us, without exception, without discrimination.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Steube, what any religious tradition ascribes as God's will is no concern of this Congress.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Tlaib).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Velazquez).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Bonamici).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Wasserman Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, as a founding vice chair of the LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, I am proud, once again, to cast my vote for the Equality Act. It is my sincere hope that this is finally the year that it will be signed into law.
In dozens of States, including my own, LGBTQ Americans are still denied housing, discriminated against in education, or denied service at businesses. The Trump administration ruthlessly attacked the LGBTQ community's rights from the transgender military ban to allowing doctors to deny medical care to LGBTQ individuals.
States have continued to put forward so-called bathroom bills. Legislators in my own State have introduced bills to deny medical care to trans children and prevent trans youth from playing sports. Even worse, 44 trans Americans were murdered in 2020, the deadliest year on record.
We can't tolerate any more discrimination. It costs lives. The Equality Act is vital so that Americans everywhere can love whom they love and be their authentic selves without fear of persecution, eviction, or discrimination.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Williams).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, how much time do we have left?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I have listened to this debate in amazement. I have been involved in this struggle for equality for many, many years. I was the chief author in the House of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and to hear it suggested that I would turn my back on religious freedom is just ridiculous.
This bill enshrines equality. It enshrines equality for everyone. That is its purpose. It does not contradict the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which, as a number of people have mentioned, I was the chief author of. But it does enshrine equality, and that is what our friends on the other side of the aisle seem to be afraid of, equality.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I have the right to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
It is precisely because this bill enshrines equality; it is precisely because of the nonsensical nature of the arguments from the other side of the aisle that the Equality Act has been endorsed by more than 500 civil rights, women's rights, religious, medical, and other national and State organizations, including the American Medical Association, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Episcopal Church, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence--to end sexual violence--the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, the National Women's Law Center, the Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, the Rabbinical Assembly, and the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, all of whom obviously would not endorse this bill if it had anything to do with destroying religious liberty.
It has also been endorsed by dozens of business associations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and hundreds of other businesses.
I urge all Members to support this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source