DelBene, Pelosi Continue Fight for LGBT Equality

SEATTLE - August 18, 2015 – Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) called on Congress to pass the Equality Act, a comprehensive bill that aims to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans.

DelBene and Pelosi attended a community conversation hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Seattle and Amazon titled, "Beyond Marriage: The LGBT Equality Fight Continues. "

"Our country had a historic Pride Month, with the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on marriage equality, " DelBene said. "But even as same-sex couples enjoy the right to marry in all 50 states, there is much more work to do to end discrimination and ensure LGBT Americans have full equality under the law. In many states, people who are LGBT can still be fired, denied credit and evicted from their home simply based on who they are and who they love. This is wrong, and I will continue to fight until all Americans have equal rights and protections. "

"No one should face discrimination because of who they are or who they love," Pelosi said. "With the joy of marriage equality at our backs, we must now pass the Equality Act to ensure that every LGBT American everywhere can live, love and work free from discrimination.  Congresswoman DelBene has been a tenacious champion for LGBT rights and she is working tirelessly to continue to advance LGBT equality. "

DelBene and Pelosi are cosponsors of the Equality Act, which would provide explicit, consistent civil rights protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in credit, education, employment, federal funding, housing, jury service and public accommodations.

While the Supreme Court has made marriage equality the law of the land, 31 states still lack fully-inclusive non-discrimination protections for LGBT people. Despite the ruling, LGBT Americans can get married but are still be at risk of being denied services for who they are, or risk being fired simply for getting married and wearing their wedding ring to the office the next day. The Equality Act would guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBT people in many of the most important aspects of their lives.

The Equality Act has more than 200 original cosponsors – more than any LGBT bill to date. The Human Rights Campaign and Amazon have also endorsed the legislation.

"The time has come for full federal equality – nothing more, nothing less, " said JoDee Winterhof, Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs for the Human Rights Campaign. "Everyone should have a fair chance to earn a living, provide for their families, and live their lives without fear of discrimination. "

"Amazon has a long history of supporting equality and we welcome the efforts of the many bipartisan sponsors and cosponsors of the Equality Act, including Leader Pelosi and Rep. DelBene, to provide full equality for LGBT individuals, " said Brian Huseman, Amazon director of public policy.