The White House made a historic amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It passed a bill to protect US citizens against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill was passed with bipartisan support.
This includes protection against discrimination when it comes to employment, seeking housing, credit, access to education or when being considered for jury duty. The Equality Act has the support of over 240 co-sponsors and around 200 US companies, including Airbnb and Google.
“It puts the law on the side of those who continue to face individual discrimination based not on their character but on who they are,” said Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat.
Currently approximately 46 per cent of Americans are closeted at work and 52 per cent of LGBTQ members have said that discrimination has negatively affected their work, including leading them to leave work. Also, currently unemployment rate for trans genders and queer people are higher than heterosexuals. The bill still needs to pass the the Republican-controlled Senate in order to become a law.
