The US House of Representatives passed the Equality Act on February 25. The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
The protections will prohibit this discrimination in employment, housing, and access to public accommodations. The final vote was 224-206 with three republicans joining the democrats on the vote.
In 2019, the House passed the act with a 236-173 vote with eight republicans joining the democrats. The act failed to get a hearing in the senate in 2019. A 60 vote threshold is required for the act in the Senate.
President Joe Biden said passage of the Equality Act would be a priority in his first 100 days in office during his campaign. The Equality Act now has the support of the White House, which it did not have during Trump’s time in office.
The passing of the Equality Act is a huge step forward for the LGBTQ+ community. Equality for everyone regardless of who they are or who they love is long overdue in the US.