City of Erie LGBTQIA+ Council urges Congress to pass the Equality Act

Other Erie LGBTQIA+ organizations also support passage

Feb 18, 2021 - The City of Erie LGBTQIA+ Council announces today that it has joined other LGBTQIA+ organizations from all US state and territories to urge Congress to pass the Equality Act, which was reintroduced today.  The Equality Act is bipartisan legislation that would update federal law to include express and enduring nondiscrimination protections for 13 million LGBTQIA+ Americans across virtually every area of daily life. Other Erie regional LGBTQIA+ organizations signing on as supporters include Erie County Democratic Party LGBTQIA+ Caucus, Erie Sisters and Brothers, Erie Gay News, Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE), NWPA Pride Alliance, Pennsylvania Equality Project, and TransFamily of NWPA.

Fifty percent of LGBTQIA+ people live in the 29 states that lack comprehensive and consistent statewide laws explicitly prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people.  While 21 states and over 350 cities have passed LGBTQIA+ nondiscrimination protections, including the County of Erie, this patchwork of protections is unsustainable and leaves too many people behind.

Our nation's civil rights laws protect people on the basis of race, color, national origin, and in most cases, sex, disability, and religion. But federal law does not explicitly provide non-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The need for these protections is clear-nearly two-thirds of LGBTQIA+ Americans report having experienced discrimination in their personal lives.

The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights law-including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Jury Selection and Services Act, and several laws regarding employment with the federal government-to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The legislation also amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination in public spaces and services and federally funded programs on the basis of sex.

Additionally, the Equality Act would update the public spaces and services covered in current law to include retail stores, services such as banks and legal services, and transportation services. These important updates would strengthen existing protections for everyone.

The nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute recently found that national public support for the Equality Act is around 83 percent. This is the strongest level of support the bill has ever seen.  Congress will take up the Equality Act next week and the City of Erie LGBTQIA+ urges its swift passage an enactment into law.