Democrats on Thursday will introduce a
bill that seeks to bar anti-LGBT discrimination in all areas of civil
rights law.
According to the Washington
Blade, lead sponsors Representative David Cicilline of Rhode
Island and Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon will hold a press
conference at noon on Thursday to discuss their proposed legislation.
If approved, the bill would prohibit
anti-LGBT discrimination in seven key areas, including credit,
education, employment, federal funding, housing, jury service and
public accommodations.
The bill is named after the first-ever
gay right measure introduced in Congress 40 years ago: the Equality
Act.
“Every day, millions of LGBT
Americans face the danger of real discrimination and sometimes even
violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,”
said Cicilline, who is openly gay. “In most states, a same-sex
couple can get married on Saturday, post pictures on Facebook on
Sunday, and then risk being fired from their job or kicked out of
their apartment on Monday.”
The bill is expected to face a steep
incline in the House, which is considering several bills aimed at
limiting the effect of the Supreme Court's ruling striking down gay
marriage bans in all 50 states as it relates to opponents.
Last week, the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that existing laws prohibit
workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.
(Related: Existing
law prohibits anti-gay workplace discrimination, federal commission
rules.)