Schneider Statement on House Passing the Equality Act, Guaranteeing Legal Equality for LGBTQ Americans
Legislation prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Brad Schneider issued the following statement following the House of Representatives voting to pass the Equality Act. Schneider voted for the bill and is an original cosponsor.
"Equality means no one in our great nation should be discriminated against because of gender identity (who they are) or sexual orientation (who they love)," said Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10). "Yet such discrimination remains legal in a majority of states. I am proud to vote alongside my House colleagues today to pass the long overdue Equality Act and ensure that all Americans are treated with dignity. We are all created equal under the law, and LGBTQ Americans are no exception."
The Equality Act ensures that the same protections already extended to other protected classes are equally available to LGBTQ Americans. Despite federal progress in recent years, LGBTQ discrimination still persists at the state level. In many states, it is legally permissible to deny housing, access to education, or the right to serve on a jury to someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Equality Act fixes these problems by amending existing federal civil rights laws to extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ Americans with regard to employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations.
The legislation is endorsed by leading advocacy organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, the Urban League, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Women's Law Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Black Justice Coalition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National LGBTQ taskforce, Lambda Legal, Family Equality Council, the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Transgender Law Center, Freedom for all Americans, SAGE, PFLAG, and the Center for American Progress.