Senator Baldwin Leads Bill to Ban Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in reintroducing the Equality Act to ban discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans, just as religious, racial, and ethnic discrimination are illegal everywhere in the United States.

“The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. But, for too many LGBTQ+ Americans in states across the country, equality under the law is not the reality, and they are harassed at work, denied a place to live, and discriminated against just for being who they are,” said Senator Baldwin. “The Equality Act makes clear that in the United States, we can live up to our nation’s highest ideals and we will not tolerate discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity – just like religion, race, or ethnicity. Equality is not a privilege, it’s what we’re all owed as American citizens, and I’m committed to making that promise a reality.”

In states across the country, over 850 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed so far this year—the most in U.S. history—including 12 bills in Wisconsin.

The Equality Act amends landmark federal anti-discrimination laws to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity to longstanding bans on discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, federal funding, and more. It would also add protections against sex discrimination in parts of anti-discrimination laws where these protections had not been included previously, such as public accommodations and federal funding.

Despite major advances in equality for LGBTQ+ Americans in recent years, including passing Senator Baldwin’s Respect for Marriage Act to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, the majority of states still do not have explicit LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protection laws. The Equality Act would finally enshrine protections into federal law under all areas of potential discrimination, protecting the rights and freedoms of all LGBTQ+ Americans for generations to come.

In addition to Senators Baldwin, Merkley, and Booker, the Equality Act is co-sponsored by 44 of their Senate colleagues.

Full text of this legislation is available here.

A summary of this legislation is available here. 

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