ACLU Urges Senate to Vote in Favor of the Equality Act
WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing today on the Equality Act. This marks the first time that a Senate committee has ever held a hearing on the Equality Act. This legislation would modernize our civil rights laws by explicitly protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination, outlawing racial profiling in stores and on transportation, and outlawing sexual harassment in stores and on transportation.
Statement from LaLa Zannell, the ACLU’s Trans Justice Campaign manager:
“I have been turned away from jobs and shelters for being a Black trans woman and I know that I am not alone. Senators can and should send a message that discrimination against Black people is wrong, that discrimination against all women is wrong, and that discrimination against trans people is wrong. Senators can make it less likely that someone will have to experience the harassment and discrimination I and so many trans and non-binary people of color have experienced.”
Statement from Ria Tabacco Mar, director of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project:
“Here’s the truth: trans girls are girls, and protecting all girls from discrimination requires protecting girls who are trans. At the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, we know there are many threats to women and to women’s sports, but we can say with confidence that trans women are not among them. The Equality Act closes critical gaps in our civil rights laws that leave us vulnerable to sexual harassment and discrimination. That’s good for all women.”
Statement from ReNika Moore, director of the ACLU’s Racial Justice Project:
“Shopping while Black and flying while Brown are not a crime. It’s long past time for our civil rights laws to be updated to say that this type of discrimination is unlawful. This is about racial justice, this is about gender justice, this is about trans justice. The Equality Act is about all of us.”
The ACLU is scoring votes on the Equality Act in the organization’s congressional scorecard, available online here.
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