Washington, D.C. – Congressman Chris Pappas, Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus and first LGBTQ member of Congress from New Hampshire, joined the Democratic Caucus to help introduce the bipartisan Equality Act, of which he is a co-sponsor.
This landmark legislation amends existing civil rights law, to provide LGBTQ Americans with the same protections from discrimination as other Americans in key areas, including employment, housing, and education.
“I am proud that so many Members of this House are coming together to introduce the Equality Act,” Pappas said. “This bill will ensure full equality under the law for our community, an essential step given that LGBTQ Americans in 30 states can still be fired or face discrimination without any legal recourse. We are not asking for anything more or less than what every other American enjoys.”
“Today, we are standing up and demanding equal treatment under the law,” Pappas said. “The end of discrimination on the basic of sexual orientation or gender identity can only be achieved when we protect every citizen in every state and in every community across this nation.”
Background:
Despite significant progress forged for equality, lack of federal protections has left half of LGBTQ Americans in states without non-discrimination protections across all areas of life. H.R. 5, or The Equality Act, remedies this by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, federal jury service, public accommodations, and the use of federal funds. The Equality Act was introduced with more than 200 cosponsors and the overwhelming support of the American people.
