The Equality Act

The Supreme Court decision consenting gay and lesbian couples the right to marry in all the states was a landmark victory for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. It was a hard fought victory spanning years of hard work and activism. Nonetheless, even in the wake of that substantial step in the court’s ruling, many members of the LGBT community still have work to do (“How So-Called ‘Equality Act’ Threatens Religious Freedom”). This comes to the realization that several same-sex couples find it hard to enjoy other basic human rights in several other states of the country. This paper puts into context the Equality Act 2015, making a claim of fact, definition, cause, value or policy of the Act as well as the repercussions
The Equality Act is a comprehensive bill introduced by the House and Senate lawmakers aiming to introduce sexual orientation as well as gender identity to the existing protections based on color, religion, sex, and race. The bill if passed would address discrimination issues in the areas of employment, public accommodations, housing, public education, federal funding, the jury system and others (Congress.Gov). The bill was introduced into the House of Representatives by David Cicilline on July 23, 2015, and sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley. The legislation if passed would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act as well as others to have sexual orientation and gender identity as other forms of discriminations. Many members of the LGBT community describe the piece of the legislation as what they have always fought for and the time to enjoy that is now. Also, the act would force the other thirty-one states, which do not extend protections based on sexual orientation to the LGBT members
Many surveys show that the majority of the American people support having LGBT people under human and civil rights rules. Also, renowned businesses including Apple, Google, Facebook, General Mills and the Amazon have expressed their enthusiastic endorsement of the Equality Act (“Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Google Team up to Support Marriage Equality”). The bill is the first step in ensuring that all humans enjoy their basic fundamental rights notwithstanding of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The fact that someone is human gives him or her the right to have legal backing and have protection from forms of discrimination. Over 60% of LGBT, community members report some form of discrimination in their areas of work. Only nineteen states include LGBT people in their human and civil rights legislation, bringing the rest of the country is of utmost importance to ensure that all citizens enjoy the same rights (Human Rights Campaigns