Congressman McGovern Joins House Democrats in Introducing Equality Act for LGBTQ Americans

Washington, March 14, 2019
 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, joined nearly 240 other Members of Congress in introducing the Equality Act of 2019 – a  historic bill to state unequivocally that LGBTQ Americans deserve the full protections guaranteed by the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

 The Equality Act extends anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ Americans with regard to employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and public accommodations.

 "No American should ever be treated as less than equal, especially in the eyes of the law," said Congressman McGovern. "The Equality Act would guarantee that LGBTQ Americans in all fifty states have the same protections that people here in Massachusetts already have. As Chairman of the House Rules Committee, I look forward to ushering the Equality Act to the House Floor. Liberty and justice for all is more than just an idea – it must be the law of the land.”

Despite significant legal advances over the past several years – including marriage equality, LGBTQ Americans remain vulnerable to discrimination on a daily basis and too often have little recourse.  Fifty percent of the national LGBTQ community live in states where, though they have the right to marry, they have no explicit non-discrimination protections in other areas of daily life.  Only 21 states have explicit laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and only 20 states have such protections for gender identity. 

 The Equality Act has the bipartisan support of Members of Congress, the strong support of the business community, and the overwhelming support of the American people – with more than 7 in 10 supporting the Equality Act.