Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today joined every Democratic member of the House of Representatives in reintroducing the Equality Act, comprehensive civil rights legislation that would prohibit discrimination against members of the LGBTQI+ community in the areas of employment, education, credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and public accommodations. The House passed the Equality Act with bipartisan support in both the 116^th and 117^th Congresses.

“No matter an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, they should be able to enjoy life free from discrimination,” said Rep. Scanlon. “As LGBTQI+ people continue to be attacked from every direction in state legislatures and in Congress, I am committed to not just pushing back against these attacks but also pushing equality forward. The introduction of the Equality Act sends a clear message that LGBTQI+ people deserve the same protections from discrimination as every other marginalized group. As a proud Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, I will not stop fighting to make the Equality Act the law of the land.”

The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination against LGBTQI+ people in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service. The Equality Act would also prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in public accommodations and federally funded programs. By expanding the definition of public accommodations in the Civil Rights Act, the bill would not only strengthen protections on the basis of sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics), but also on the basis of race, color, national origin, and religion.

Find the full bill text  here.

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