Screenwriter, director and producer
Dustin Lance Black has joined the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Americans for the Equality Act campaign.
Reintroduced in March with bipartisan
support, the Equality Act is a federal bill that seeks to prohibit
discrimination against people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender in key areas such as employment, housing,
federally-funded programs, and public accommodations. On Wednesday,
the
legislation cleared the House Judiciary Committee.
(Related: Pete
Buttigieg endorses LGBT protections bill Equality Act.)
In a 3-minute video, Black, 44,
explains that the Equality Act would allow LGBT people to share their
stories, which in turn would change hearts and minds.
As a recent father – Black is married
to British Olympic diver Tom Daley – Black said that he wants his
son to be proud of his family.
“I'm going to do all I can to make
sure that that happens, but I could also use the help of the law,”
Black said. “I want to live in a country where the law says, 'Hey,
treat your neighbors as you'd like to be treated yourself.' That's
the golden rule. Protect family. Protect children. And that means
passing the Equality Act. So that LGBTQ families and our children are
protected.”