A historic act has passed in the US House of Representatives that would extend civil rights legislation to cover prejudice and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The bill was already proposed in the House in 2019 but is widely disapproved of by Republicans.
The Gay and Transgender Equality Act passed with unanimous support from Democrats but only 3 members of the opposition, Republican party, backed the bill. The Republican party tends towards more socially conservative viewpoints as opposed to the Democratic party, which tends to favour more socially liberal viewpoints.
The change to discrimination laws is one of the positions suported by now President Joe Biden when he was on the campaign trail before the November 2019 presidential election.
The President stated before the historic vote:
"I urge Congress to swiftly pass this historic legislation. Every person should be treated with dignity and respect, and this bill represents a critical step toward ensuring that America lives up to our foundational values of equality and freedom for all."
The bill is believed to be highly popular with the American public. Early opinion polling indicates that as many as 83% of Americans favour legislation that bans discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The Republican party opposes the bill because many of their representatives claim that it will infringe on the religious freedom of citizens. For instance, the passing of the bill will mean that individual businesses will be required by law to hire and serve gay, bisexual and transgender people, even if it goes against their personal beliefs. Many of those pushing forward with the bill regard such stances as mere excuses for bigotry and prejudice.
If the bill passes the Senate, also controlled by the Democratic party, it will be the first major addition to the Equality Act of 1964 which opposed discrimination based on racial or ethnic identity and arose as a result of the 1960's black civil rights movement.
Democratic representative Marie Newman of Illinois said the new bill defends the principles upon which the United States is built, saying:
"Without the Equality Act, this nation will never live up to its principles of freedom and equality. I'm voting yes on the Equality Act for Evie Newman, my daughter and the strongest, bravest person I know."
h/t: UNILAD
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