Day 36: House Passes Equality Act

The United States House of Representatives passed H.R.5, a bill that amends the Civil Rights Act 1964 to include protection for LGBTQ, with a 224-206 vote. “Transgender rights are human rights — and the House made that clear today by passing the Equality Act. Now it's time for the Senate to do the same,” President Joe Biden tweeted in response.

“Trans people exist,” tweeted Oreo cookies.

Opposers decried the process, saying Democrats rushed it through although Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) first brought it before Congress in 2015 and has introduced it every year since, reports NBC News. It passed the House 236-173 in 2019.

“Discrimination is wrong, we all know that. As children we learn the Golden Rule: treat others the way that you yourself would want to be treated,” Cicilline said what he said on the floor. “…Eighty-three percent of Americans support this bill including more than 68 percent — more than 2/3 — Republican voters.”

Specifically, the bill provides “consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.”