The US House of Representatives has voted to pass the Equality Act, a landmark civil rights bill prohibiting discrimination against LGBT+ people in all 50 states. The House voted 224-206 on Thursday (25 February) to pass the sweeping legislation, which substantially expands the existing 1964 Civil Rights Act to include specific protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Its passage represents an enormous step forward for LGBT+ rights in America as it finally addresses the “patchwork” state coverage that leaves countless queer people vulnerable to discrimination. Representative Ritchie Torres, the first LGBT+ Black and Afro Latino member of congress, said he felt “the weight of history” on his shoulders as he voted to claim what discrimination denies: equal protection under law. “My younger self could’ve never imagined standing on the floor of the house as a member of congress voting for legislation that, if enacted, will make me equal in the eyes of the law,” he said. “We are here to uphold the abiding truth of the American experiment – that we are all created equal, and that none of us should be evicted, fired or denied accommodations and services simply because of who we are and whom we love. “We are equal by nature, and we ought to be equal by law.”
via pinknews: Equality Act passes House of Representatives in historic victory for LGBT+ rights
