Equality Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I want to strike a bipartisan note and invoke a Republican President who made America truly great, Abraham Lincoln, who served in this body and spoke of government of the people, by the people, and for the people--all the people.

In 1964, our predecessors in the House stood here and voted 333-85 to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The vast majority of Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans voted for it, and we changed America by bringing down the walls of racial and ethnic discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and education.

Our predecessors rejected the familiar hysterical arguments that equal rights for African Americans in restaurants and hotels and at lunch counters meant discrimination against the religious rights of the owners of the restaurants and the motels and lunch counters, which is precisely the argument that was made back in that day.

Today, we legislate equal rights under the exact same act for millions of Americans in the LGBT community. This is a triumphant and glorious moment for the House of Representatives and for the United States of America.

But our friends who now occupy the seats of Lincoln's party tell us that children will be able to get surgery without their parents' consent. This is false, and this is propaganda.

Every State in the Union requires parental consent before their minor children get surgery, and nothing in this act will affect any of the States' laws in any way with respect to parental consent.

Let's honor Abraham Lincoln. Let's honor the best traditions of the United States of America. Let's bring down the walls of discrimination against all Americans. Let's pass the Equality Act.

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