SACRAMENTO, Calif.—With the nation still mourning the hate-fueled massacre in Orlando, a resolution by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) urging Congress to pass the Equality Act was approved late yesterday by the California State Senate.
Despite the 2015 United States Supreme Court ruling in support of marriage equality, no federal law establishes discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans in areas such as employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, and federal funding. Introduced as House Resolution 3185 by U.S. Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, the Equality Act provides essential updates to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex in these areas. The Act also addresses certain kinds of discrimination still facing women and people of color.
California has a strong record of advancing LGBT civil rights with laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex, but equality and acceptance is not universal across our country. In the absence of federal protections, a majority of states currently lack clear nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Americans.
“It is appalling that in 2016, many LGBT Americans still face daily discrimination and remain at risk of being fired or denied services because of who they love and their gender expression,” said Assemblymember Chiu. “We need to encourage a culture of inclusion and equality not segregation. I am glad my Senate colleagues agree it is time for Congress to vote for the Equality Act.”
“When more than 200 pieces of anti-LGBT legislation have been introduced in state legislatures in the past year across the nation, strong statements like AJR 45 are more meaningful than ever,” said Rick Zbur, Executive Director of Equality California. “LGBT people in a majority of states can be fired from their jobs, turned away by doctors when they need care, or evicted from their homes because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and they have no recourse. It is time to pass the federal Equality Act to make sure that all LGBT Americans are protected equally, and that LGBT Californians don’t leave their rights at the border when they leave our state.”
Consistent with California’s history of leading on LGBT civil rights, this AJR calls upon Congress to pass The Equality Act.
AJR 45 has been approved by the California Senate and now heads to the Assembly for concurrence.
