Georgia Representative John Lewis is
the latest politician to join the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Americans for the Equality Act.
The Equality Act, which
is expected to reach a House floor vote this week, 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.
(Related: Trump
administration says president is opposed to LGBT protections bill
Equality Act.)
In a roughly 1-minute video, Lewis, an
iconic civil rights leader, says that the legislation is needed to
“set all of our people free.”
“Equality is so important to me. From
the time I was a young child growing up in rural Alabama, and I saw
those signs that said “white men, colored men; white women, colored
women,” I dreamed that the day would come when I would stand up and
speak up and speak out against discrimination,” Lewis said.
“We're one people. We're one family.
We all live in the same house. We must respect the dignity and the
worth of every human being.”
“It is a must that we do what is
right, what is fair, and what is just. This is the time to pass the
Equality Act. We need it to set all of our people free,” he added.