Nancy Pelosi: Passage Of Equality Act Shows Respect For Constitution

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that passage of the Equality Act shows respect for the U.S. Constitution.

The Equality Act seeks to add protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to existing civil rights laws.

(Related: LGBT protections bill Equality Act clears House.)

On Friday, the legislation cleared the U.S. House with the help of eight Republicans.

In a 43-second video, Pelosi said that passage was a “cause for celebration.”

“In doing so, we not only showed our respect for the LGBTQ community, we showed our respect for our Constitution as well as opening the door to so many more victories in the future,” Pelosi said.

“Now, we have to take it to the Senate and pass it there, but, for a moment, we can savor and celebrate the passage of the Equality Act,” she added.

The legislation faces an uncertain future in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has previously vowed to block any legislation coming from the Democrat-controlled House.