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The Equality Act with protections for LGBTQ Americans is up for a vote in the House. What is it?
Feb 25, 2021 1 min, 39 secs

"In many ways," the coming vote showed how Congress was "catching up to the rest of the country" on LGBTQ rights, Rep.

Most Americans think LGBTQ people are protected from discrimination.

In reality, many federal protections aren't available to the LGBTQ community.

The Equality Act would amend existing federal civil rights laws to extend protections for LGBTQ Americans in what Democratic lawmakers and advocates say would make significant progress toward legal protections for all Americans.

"In many ways," the coming vote showed how Congress was "catching up to the rest of the country" on LGBTQ rights, he said, citing shifts in public opinion in support of anti-discrimination legislation.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Wednesday that the bill "makes sure the LGBTQ community is protected in all of its rights, not just some.

The legislation amends civil rights laws such as the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which had banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin, to include protections on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Although many states have enacted anti-discrimination laws, advocates such as the Human Rights Campaign argue that today's "patchwork" of laws across states leaves LGBTQ Americans vulnerable to discrimination. 

Clay County extended workplace protections to LGBTQ Americans, but groups such as the National Women's Law Center say the legislation would codify the court's decision and create explicit federal protections for LGBTQ Americans beyond the workplace. 

Hoyer told reporters Wednesday that he expected every Democrat to vote for the legislation again and that he hoped a "large number of Republicans" would vote for it

He also said that concerns from religious organizations would be allayed by the bill's structure and that previous religious exemptions in civil rights law would "apply the same way." 

Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who introduced the Senate's version of the legislation, said he supported ending the filibuster but said ending the measure probably was not a "conversation we're going to win this particular year." 

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