Illinois Rep. Bob Dold on Friday
announced his support for the Equality Act, making him the first
Republican to back the proposed legislation.
Introduced by Democrats last year, the
Equality Act seeks to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in seven key
areas, including credit, education, employment, federal funding,
housing, jury service and public accommodations, by effectively
expanding the Civil Rights Act, originally approved in 1964.
“Illinois has a long and proud
history of fighting for equal rights, and I am proud to continue this
tradition by supporting the Equality Act,” Dold said in a statement
given to The
Hill. “Engraved on the front of the Supreme Court is their
phrase 'equal justice under the law,' but as long as any Americans
can be legally discriminated against, there is not equal justice in
this country.”
“Congress must act to ensure that all
Americans, including the LGBT community, are protected equally from
discrimination under federal law, just as they already are in my home
state of Illinois.”
Dold added that while the current bill
is “not perfect”, “it marks an important first step in the
process of crafting a bipartisan bill that ensures equal rights for
all Americans while also fully protecting the religious freedom our
Constitution guarantees.”
Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
applauded Dold's move.
“Bob Dold is showing tremendous
leadership today by becoming the first Republican to sign on as a
cosponsor of the Equality Act and we’re thrilled that he’s
standing up for our fundamental values of fairness and equality,”
Griffin said. “Far too many LGBT people – nearly two-thirds –
have faced unfair and unjust discrimination in their lives, much of
it in the workplace. In cosponsoring the Equality Act, Congressman
Dold showed how important it is that LGBT people be able to have a
fair chance to earn a living, provide for their families, and live
free from fear of discrimination.”
(Related: White
House backs LGBT protections bill.)