HRC launches Business Coalition for the Equality Act

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has announced the launch of their Business Coalition for the Equality Act, a coalition of 60 major employers that have officially endorsed the bipartisan Equality Act.

Since HRC joined with lawmakers and advocates last July to introduce the Equality Act in Congress, HRC has continued to build support from the business community. Today, the Business Coalition for the Equality Act launches with 60 leading American companies. With operations in all 50 states, headquarters spanning 22 states and a combined $1.9 trillion in revenue, the companies that make up the coalition employ over 4.2 million people in the United States.

“These business leaders are showing true leadership and fighting to end a shameful status quo that leaves LGBT people at risk in a majority of states for being denied services or fired because of who they are or who they love,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “We’re proud of all these corporate leaders stepping forward to say that all Americans, including LGBT people, should be able to live free from fear of discrimination and have a fair chance to earn a living.”

A majority of states — 32 states in total — still lack fully inclusive non-discrimination protections for LGBT people, and there are no explicit federal protections against discrimination. Introduced one month after the historic Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that ushered in nationwide marriage equality, the Equality Act would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBT people under our existing civil rights laws. The Equality Act provides clear, permanent and equal protections under federal law for all Americans in vital areas of life, like employment, access to public spaces, housing, credit, education, jury service, and federally funded programs.

Members of HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act

Today’s announcement comes as dozens of grassroots supporters, advocates and fan out across Capitol Hill to educate Members of Congress about the need to pass the Equality Act. 170 HRC members from 23 states and the District of Columbia are scheduled to visit with 151 offices to grow support for the Equality Act in Congress. In addition to the Equality Act, lobby day participants will urge Senators to support a hearing for President Obama’s forthcoming Supreme Court nomination, among other LGBT equality issues.

Discrimination is a real and persistent problem for too many LGBT Americans. Nearly two-thirds of self-identified LGBT Americans have reported experiencing discrimination in HRC’s polling  — including people like Carter Brown, a transgender man who lost his job after he was outed as transgender by his colleagues. Currently, 50 percent of LGBT Americans live in states where they are at risk of being fired, denied housing or refused service because of who they are or whom they love.

HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act launch comes after new polling released by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that nationally, support for a bill like the Equality Act topped 70 percent, which includes a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The groundbreaking report from PRRI included 42,000 interviews in 50 states and found support for the Equality Act in all 50 states.

Republican Senator Mark Kirk (IL) and Representative Bob Dold (IL) recently signed on as co-sponsors of the Equality Act, which was introduced last year by Senators Jeff Merkley (OR), Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Cory Booker (NJ); and Representatives David Cicilline (RI) and John Lewis (GA).