Equality Act for a Stronger America
Throughout the month of October, we celebrate LGBT History Month in recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history. This time is also for reflection on the LGBT civil rights movement — and is an opportunity to realize that this fight for equal rights is not yet over, even after a historic Supreme Court ruling upholding marriage equality this summer.
Did you know that it is currently legal under federal law to fire an employee or pass over them for a promotion solely on the basis of his or her sexual orientation? Or that it is also legal for an LGBT person to be denied credit for a home loan based on their gender identity?
All Americans deserve to be protected from discrimination. Unfortunately, that is not always the case for many LGBT individuals across the country. While it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on their race, religion, sex, age, or disability status, it is permissible to do so based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in many places, including Florida. This is wrong. No one should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love. That is why I am a proud supporter of the Equality Act, which is comprehensive legislation that will extend civil rights protections to LGBT individuals.
This bill ends this ugly treatment of LGBT individuals by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation to areas like credit, education, housing, employment, and public accommodations.
Growing up in South Florida, I know that diversity makes our community stronger and richer. While some localities in Florida, like Broward County and the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, have ordinances in place to protect our brothers, sisters, friends, and neighbors in the LGBT community from unfair discrimination, too many areas do not. In fact, a report by the UCLA Williams Institute found that over 300,000 employees throughout Florida can be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity because they live somewhere that lacks protections. The Equality Act would right this wrong by putting in place workplace protections and other anti-discrimination measures throughout the Sunshine State and across the country.
As we commemorate LGBT History Month, we must recognize that while the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Obergefell v. Hodges was a monumental and substantial step in the fight for equal rights, there is still much work to be done.
Congressman Patrick E. Murphy represents the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast in Congress. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and is a member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.