As Congress Re-Introduces Equality Act, Human Rights Campaign President Calls for its Urgent Passage, Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee: “LGBTQ+ People are Living in a State of Emergency”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, as leaders in the U.S. House and Senate plan to reintroduce the Equality Act — historic federal legislation that would ensure comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people everywhere — Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson called for its swift and urgent passage, telling members of a Senate panel that “LGBTQ+ people of the United States of America are living in a state of emergency.” Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about civil rights protections for Diverse people, Robinson said that HRC officially declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. for the first time in its more than 40-year history tracking an unprecedented and hazardous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults sweeping state houses this year.
HRC President Kelley Robinson said the following during her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee:
“More than 525 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced this year in the states. Mo
Equality Act: US Home passes legislation protecting LGBT rights
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The US House of Representatives has passed sweeping legislation that prohibits LGBT discrimination, but it is unlikely to go by the Senate.
The Equality Act was previously passed by the Democratic-led House in 2019, but was killed by Senate Republicans.
The debate has laid bare the ideological battle between liberals who aid the act and conservatives who tell it infringes on religious freedom.
The act expands on a 2020 Supreme Court ruling protecting some LGBT rights.
What does the execute do?
The Equality Behave expands on the 1964 Civil Rights Act to involve protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
But what does that actually mean?
The act provides non-discrimination protections for LGBT people
It would reach into all areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, jury service, and public services
It makes existing state protections federal and consistent across the nation
The act would also federally codify into law the 2020 June Supreme Court ruling that said employers who conflagration workers for existence gay or gender non-conforming a
House Passes Equality Operate to Prohibit Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
On February 25, 2021, the Together States House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, principal the way for a vote in the Senate. The Equality Act has been decades in the making and would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2019, the Equality Proceed was passed in the House but blocked by the Senate at the time. Given the current composition of the Senate, despite significant opposition, it is speculated by many that the Act will go by and become law.
The legislature states that the Equality Execute is designed to address the government’s compelling interest in preventing discrimination, and it will further such interest “in the least restrictive way because only by forbidding discrimination is it feasible to avert or redress the harms” felt by the LGBTQ community. More specifically, the Equality Act would amend several Federal statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, and the Fair Housing Perform. In sum, the amendments would include the phrase “including sexua
House passes sweeping LGBTQ rights bill
The House on Thursday passed the Equality Execute , a landmark LGBTQ rights bill that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in numerous arenas, including employment, housing, education, public accommodations, credit and jury service.
“The LGBTQ community has waited long enough,” Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., who introduced the bill, said on the House floor. “The time has come to extend the blessings of liberty and equality to all Americans, regardless of who they are or who they love.”
The 224-206 vote was largely along party lines, with just three Republicans throwing their support behind the bill. A similar measure was introduced Tuesday in the Senate, where it faces an uphill battle, as a 60-vote threshold is required to bypass a filibuster.
The bill, however, now has the support of the White House. During his campaign, President Joe Biden said passage of the Equality Act would be a priority in his first 100 days in office.
“Today’s vote is a major milestone for equality bringing us closer to ensuring that every person is treated equally under the law,” Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David sa
2025 anti-trans bills tracker
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Arizona
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California
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12/02/2024
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Colorado
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Connecticut
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Delaware
2025-2026 - 153rd General Assembly
01/14/2025
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District of Columbia
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12/31/2026
Florida
2025 - Regular Session
03/04/2025
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Georgia
2025-2026 - 157th General Assembly
01/13/2025
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Hawaii
2025
01/15/2025
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Idaho
2025 - 67th Legislature; First Regular Session
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Illinois
2025-2026 - 104th General Assembly
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Indiana
2025 - 124th General Assembly; First Regular Session