Protect everyone from discrimination with the Equality Act
The Equality Act is federal legislation that would modernize our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit protections for LGBTQ people, as well as improving protections for women, people of color, and people of all faiths. The Equality Act ensures everyone in America, including LGBTQ people, are protected from harassment and discrimination – bringing us closer to Freedom and Opportunity for All.
It protects everyone.
The Equality Act would close large gaps in our civil rights laws and expand protections for women, people of color, and people of all faiths. For example, it would ensure that women cannot be charged more by a dry cleaner for cleaning a shirt; that taxis and car-sharing services cannot refuse service to Black people; or that an accountant cannot refuse to work for someone because he disagrees with their religion. The Equality Act would make sure that many modern types of discrimination are against the law.
It provides comprehensive, national non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people.
Right now, there is a patchwork of regulations across the country. Some states provide protections for LGBTQ people and some do not. This means, for instance, that a gay man living in Illinois is protected against discrimination, but if he crosses into Indiana he would have no state protection if he were denied an apartment, a loan, or service at a restaurant. If an LGBTQ person were to drive from Maine to California, their rights could literally change dozens of times. No one’s civil rights should depend on the state or zip code they’re in.
70% of Americans support the Equality Act.
It’s good for business.
More than 400 major U.S. companies, such as Coca-Cola, Apple, General Mills, and others, have endorsed the Equality Act because they believe it is good for their employees and their businesses. When LGBTQ employees and the LGBTQ family members of employees are protected in their daily lives, it makes them more secure and confident in their jobs, and therefore more productive. That’s why employers care about their employees’ ability to rent an apartment, send their kids to school, visit the dentist, and pick up the groceries free from discrimination.
It moves America forward.
Throughout our history, recognizing and protecting civil rights has been a cornerstone of progress. At one point, racially segregating public schools, denying women the right to vote, and preventing people of different races from socializing were considered acceptable. But we eventually recognized that these were all forms of discrimination and that they were wrong, so we passed laws to correct them. The Equality Act does the same – it corrects discrimination and moves our country forward to be more fair and just.
