Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate introduced the Equality Act, which would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes.
To pass, the bill would need bipartisan support in both houses. In 2022, more than 50 Republicans voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which enshrined same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law.
Once the bill makes it out of Congress, President Trump would have to sign it. In 2000, when he was thinking about running for president on the Reform Party, he was asked if he would support extending non-discrimination protections to gays and lesbians and, according to The Advocate, he said, “It’s only fair.”
However, during his first term in office, Trump said, “The Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.”
Rep. Julie Johnson is among the bill’s cosponsors.
“As a Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, I’m proud to help reintroduce the #EqualityAct this Congress to explicitly prohibit LGBTQ discrimination, strengthen prohibitions on sex discrimination, and expand protections for minority communities in public accommodations—which makes EVERY American’s rights safer!” she posted on social media.
In the Senate, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) in reintroducing the Equality Act.
Key elements of the Equality Act are:
To include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories in existing civil rights laws
To protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in a wide range of public accommodations.
To prevent employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
To prohibit discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
To expand protections in area such as credit, education, jury service.
— David Taffet
