Haaland Cosponsors Equality Act

Press Release

U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (NM-01) joined dozens of House Democrats in introducing the Equality Act. The bill, which passed the House in 2019, extends protections against discrimination to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

"Everyone deserves equal protection under the law -- no matter their background, gender identity, or who they love. Employment, housing, and education are basic needs, yet members of the LGBTQ+ community can be denied access to these and denied other civil rights in many states. The Equality Act will change that and I'm proud to be in the fight for equality," said Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-01).

"I'm grateful that Rep. Haaland has joined me in introducing the Equality Act today. No American should ever be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is critical that we get the Equality Act signed into law," said Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01), sponsor of the Equality Act.

Despite the success of the LGBTQ+ equality movement over the years, millions of LGBTQ+ Americans can still be discriminated against depending on the state they live in. In 27 states, a person is at risk of being denied housing because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ+ people are also at risk of being denied access to education in 31 states, and the right to serve on a jury in 41 states.

The Equality Act remedies these disparities by amending existing federal civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment education, housing, credit, jury service, public accommodations, and federal funding.

President Biden has pledged to make the Equality Act a priority of his first 100 days in office. The House is expected to vote on the proposal next week, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-05).

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