The US House of Representatives sweepingly passed the Equality Act of 2019, with every Democrat plus eight Republicans voting in favor of the Act. The legislation modifies existing civil rights law to extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBT Americans in access to employment, education, credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and public accommodations.
The approval came on May 17—the 15th anniversary of the passage of marriage equality in Massachusetts.
Rhode Island’s US Congressman David Cicilline introduced the bill on March 13 this year. Congressman Cicilline, the most senior gay member of Congress and a cochair of the Congressional LGBT Equality caucus, originally introduced the legislation in 2015 and has fought hard for it since that time. He was also the featured speaker at Boston Spirit’s 2019 Executive Networking Night, held earlier this month in Boston.
“The LGBTQ community has waited nearly 250 years for full equality in our country. Today, we’re one step closer to that goal,” Cicilline stated upon this week’s approval.
“Equal treatment under the law and a commitment to fairness and equality are founding values of our country. Discrimination of any kind is wrong and no one should ever be treated as less than equal because of who they are or who they love,” he said.
“The American people overwhelmingly support this bill in every single state. In fact, 84% of Kentucky residents support protections for the LGBTQ community. I hope that Senator McConnell will bring this bill to floor as soon as possible. If he chooses not to do so, his constituents will have a chance to hold him accountable in just 18 months,” said Cicilline.
“This is an historic step forward for LGBT people and we commend the Massachusetts Congressional delegation which voted in unison for the Equality Act,” Fenway Institute Director of Health Policy Research Sean Cahill stated this week.
“We also commend lead sponsor Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for this important affirmation of the dignity and equality of LGBT Americans. We are grateful for the leadership of visionary Congresswoman Bella Abzug, who first introduced the Equality Act in Congress 45 years ago,” he said.
“Numerous studies have shown that experiencing discrimination has negative effects on the health and well-being of LGBT people. Bias contributes to minority stress and correlates with negative physical and mental health symptoms, including headache, pounding heart, feeling sad, and feeling frustrated. We know that LGBT people can face discrimination in any public setting, including hospitals, health care centers, and other places where people seek care to have their physical and mental health care needs met. We also know that people who experience discrimination in health care are less likely to seek care,” said Cahill.
“A national non-discrimination law holds the potential to increase LGBT people’s access to health care while also reducing health disparities affecting LGBT people. We urge the Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass the Equality Act, which 71 percent of Americans also support,” Cahill said.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
