Equality Act

Key Points

• This bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity across employment, housing, public accommodations, education, credit, jury service, and federally funded programs. It codifies protections that some courts have recognized but that are not consistently applied nationwide.
• The bill greatly expands what counts as a "public accommodation" under civil rights law, adding stores, online retailers, banks, gas stations, health care providers, shelters, transportation services, and more. This means LGBTQ people and women would gain protections in far more everyday settings.
• The bill specifies that individuals must be allowed to use shared facilities like restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, establishing a national standard on the issue.
• In a key provision, the bill blocks the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) from being used as a legal defense or basis for challenging anti-discrimination protections under the covered titles. This would prevent businesses or organizations from citing religious beliefs to justify discrimination.
• Protections cover not just a person's actual identity but also perceived identity and association. Someone could bring a claim if they were discriminated against because others believed they were LGBTQ, even if that belief was wrong.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.