April 26, 2021
With New Analysis Revealing Millions of Floridians Lack Key Nondiscrimination Protections, Freedom & Opportunity For All Urges Sen. Rubio and Sen. Scott to Support the Equality Act
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Freedom & Opportunity For All campaign — a national campaign advocating for the urgent passage of the Equality Act — is strongly urging Sen. Rubio (R-FL) and Sen. Scott (R-FL) to support the Equality Act as new analysis reveals that a total of 772,000 LGBTQ adults, 8,910,148 women, and 9,872,800 people of color in Florida lack key nondiscrimination protections. The analysis — developed by the Center for American Progress, a founding member of Freedom & Opportunity For All — underscores the urgent need for the Equality Act, which is landmark and historic federal legislation that would modernize and improve our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people and women, and expanding protections for women, people of color, people of all faiths, and national origins.
According to the analysis, the Equality Act would clarify that federal protections in jury service, housing, credit, and public accommodations extend to 772,000 LGBTQ adults in Florida. The Equality Act would also extend protections based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity under Title VI federally funded programs, such as those related to education and health care, which would provide protections for nearly 9 million women and 772,000 LGBTQ adults in Florida. Additionally, the Equality Act would extend protections in public accommodations to 772,000 LGBTQ adults in Florida and would expand the number of locations classified as public accommodations protected under federal civil rights law – extending protections to 8,910,148 women and 9,872,800 people of color in Florida.
These findings were made public after more than 20 Floridians met with Sen. Rubio and Sen. Scott last week as part of a virtual lobby day spearheaded and organized by the Freedom & Opportunity For All campaign. Nearly 500 constituents from 38 states joined in the virtual lobby day, holding 75 different meetings with their senators to share why the Equality Act is urgently needed.
Currently, 29 states — including Florida — do not have laws that explicitly protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. Without the Equality Act, LGBTQ people remain vulnerable to being evicted from their homes, kicked out of a business that’s open to the public, denied health care, removed from a jury, or denied government services in a majority of states simply because of who they are.
With nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ people having reported experiencing discrimination in their personal lives, the Equality Act would level the playing field for everyone, guaranteeing that LGBTQ people are extended the same federal anti-discrimination protections that others in the United States have enjoyed for decades. It would also extend protections to millions of women who aren’t covered under some existing federal anti-discrimination laws and expand the public spaces and services that can’t discriminate against anyone based on race, national origin, or religion.
Broad, Overwhelming Support for the Equality Act
Freedom & Opportunity For All — co-founded and led by 16 of the nation’s leading advocates for equality — reflects the broad and overwhelming support for the Equality Act mirrored in communities across the country. Recent polling from Hart Research Associates finds that 70 percent of Americans (including 50 percent of Republicans) support the Equality Act.
To date, a majority of Americans, hundreds of members of Congress, hundreds of advocacy organizations, and more than 60 business associations — including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers — have endorsed the Equality Act. Nearly 400 major U.S. companies — including dozens of Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, Apple, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and Kellogg — have endorsed the Equality Act because they believe it is good for their employees and their businesses. Collectively, these companies have headquarters based in 33 states overseeing operations in all 50 states, and generate a collective revenue of $6.5 trillion. In total, these companies employ more than 13.5 million people across the United States. For more information about Freedom & Opportunity For All, please visit its website at www.PassTheEqualityAct.com.
About the Equality Act
Currently, 29 states do not have laws that explicitly protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. Without the Equality Act, LGBTQ Americans remain vulnerable to being evicted from their homes, kicked out of a business that’s open to the public, denied health care, or denied government services in a majority of states simply because of who they are. The Equality Act would provide clear, consistent non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across critical areas, including housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service. The Equality Act also extends protections to millions of women — who aren’t covered by some existing federal anti-discrimination laws — to ensure they don’t have to live in fear of harassment or discrimination. In addition, it modernizes public accommodations law to provide increased protections to people of color and people of all faiths.
Freedom & Opportunity For All is a national campaign advocating for the urgent passage of the Equality Act — historic federal legislation that would modernize and improve our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people, as well as women, people of color, and people of all faiths. The campaign — supported by hundreds of the nation’s top leaders in civil rights, faith, education, health care, and advocacy — is co-founded and led by 16 of the nation’s leading advocates for equality, including Center for American Progress; Equality Federation; Freedom for All Americans; GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders; GLSEN; Human Rights Campaign; Lambda Legal; National Black Justice Coalition; National Center for Lesbian Rights; National Center for Transgender Equality; National LGBTQ Task Force; National Women's Law Center; PFLAG National; SAGE; Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund; and The Trevor Project. More information can be found at www.PassTheEqualityAct.com.