On Friday, may 17, the House of representatives of the United States Congress enacted the equality act — Equality Act, which aims to protect the rights of the LGBTIQ community from discrimination in the workplace, at home, in services and in public places.
This vote is called historical. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the Congress first approved a comprehensive bill that provides full protection of civil rights and freedoms of representatives of the LGBTIQ communities in their daily lives.
BREAKING: The House of Representatives has passed the historic #EqualityAct.
It’s the first time a chamber of Congress has approved a LGBTQ person at work comprehensive civil rights bill that would finally provide clear, nationwide protections for LGBTQ person at work people throughout daily life. pic.twitter.com/ObFmVv3woE
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) May 17, 2019
The speaker of the house of representatives 79-year-old Nancy Pelosi said that the bill was a priority and brings a nation of «equality, liberty and justice for all». On Friday after the vote she said: «It was exciting. This is a historic moment. It is not only about what this means for the private life of people… but also about what it means for America — the constant expansion of freedoms in our country. The history of our country is the continuous expansion of freedoms.»
«We have just achieved a historic victory,» she added. «Some of us worked for 30 years for this».
I can hardly think of a better way to mark #IDAHOTB than passing the #EqualityAct in the House. So proud of the work of activists & the entire #community LGBTQ person at work to make this a reality! https://t.co/x5ZGIBGIFw pic.twitter.com/tcxnEJbi0F
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) May 17, 2019
This bill amends the civil rights Act of 1964 and prohibits discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, Federal jury service, public areas and the use of Federal funds.
«Despite significant progress, LGBTIQ-people across the country remain vulnerable to discrimination on a daily basis and too often do not have the ability to ask for help,» said the author of the bill Congressman David Cicilline. «The act on equality is long overdue to write on the law.»
The bill in the House of representatives found support not only from Democrats: 8 Republicans on Friday voted for it. But some members of the Republican party criticized the Act on equality and act against it, claiming that it hurt religious freedom.
«It’s vague definition of gender identity will lead to uncertainty, litigation and harm to individuals and organizations that will be forced to comply with the law, which the authors do not even understand,» — said on Friday a member of the house of representatives Republican Virginia Foxx. «This is a classic example of making something now and figuring out what it really means later … If the devil is in the details, we can have many of the devilish surprises.»
Now the bill must be approved by the Senate, but it is controlled by the Republicans, and so the fate of the equality Act in question. Supporters of the bill will need to attract about a dozen Republican senators.
