President Joe Biden is applauding lawmakers for introducing the Equality Act.
He noted in a statement on Friday he signed an “Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation” on his first day in office.
“I directed agencies to implement the Supreme Court’s Bostock ruling, and fully enforce Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation,” Biden said.
He added in the statement, “Now, it’s time for Congress to secure these protections once and for all by passing the Equality Act — because no one should ever face discrimination or live in fear because of who they are or whom they love.”
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the legislation to the House on Thursday.
Biden explained the act “provides long overdue federal civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, locking in critical safeguards in our housing, education, public services, and lending systems — and codifying the courage and resilience of the LGBTQ+ movement into enduring law.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested during her press briefing on Thursday she is confident the act will have “bipartisan support,” as IJR reported.
“This is something very exciting for us, Equality Act. We passed it, of course before and hopefully, now it will be passed into law in the Senate,” Pelosi said.
She continued, “It will have bipartisan support. The business community is supportive because they want the very best in the workforce. In order for that to happen, we have to remove discrimination in all aspects of our society and our economy.”
The House passed the Equality Act in May of 2019 in a 236-173 vote prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
