Introduction of Comprehensive LGBT Civil Rights Bill Long Overdue

Washington, D.C., July 23, 2015 – In response to the introduction of the Equality Act, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

"We applaud today's introduction of the Equality Act, a long overdue, much-needed bill that would explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federal funding, credit and jury selection. Since 1977, both the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis have been leaders in the faithful call for LGBT equality. Our LGBT congregants, neighbors and community members have lived without these critical, guaranteed protections for too long.

The Equality Act will build upon decades of civil rights legislation by amending existing laws that have tangibly reduced discrimination. In addition to adding explicit protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, this legislation will also add sex as a protected category to two areas of civil rights law: public accommodations and federal funding.

As one of the earliest denominations to support LGBT rights, we have celebrated each step of our country's journey towards LGBT equality, which reached one of its most significant heights in the recent Obergefell v. Hodges decision. Yet, as this bill makes clear, marriage equality is not the end of this journey.

As a Movement that strongly believes that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, are created b'tzelem Elohim, in the Divine image (Genesis 1:27), and therefore deserve to live their lives free of discrimination, we call on Congress to immediately pass the Equality Act and ensure that our laws explicitly afford LGBT people the same protections as other marginalized groups."

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism, whose nearly 900 congregations across North America encompass 1.5 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, whose membership includes more than 2,000 Reform rabbis. Visit www.rac.org for more.