Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, Jr., a
Democrat, on Thursday announced that he will co-sponsor the Equality
Act.
Casey becomes the 42nd
senator to co-sponsor the legislation.
Introduced 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.
The proposal has not advanced since its
introduction last year.
“Despite the Supreme Court's decision
in favor of marriage equality in June of 2015, it’s still legal
under federal law and in many states, including Pennsylvania, to fire
someone, or deny them access to public accommodations because they’re
gay or transgender,” Casey said in a press release. “Just
recently states like North Carolina and Mississippi have enacted laws
that are nothing more than state sponsored discrimination. Much of
the discussion around these laws has centered on public restrooms.
These laws are about much more that: they are a license to
discriminate in all aspects of our society like the workplace and in
housing. These laws are contrary to the values of our nation and make
clear the need for the Equality Act.”
The bill has 175 co-sponsors in the
House.