Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today helped introduce the Equality Act, a comprehensive bill that aims to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans.

“Our country had a historic Pride Month, with the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on marriage equality that finally put our country on the right side of history,” DelBene said. “But even as same-sex couples enjoy the right to marry in all 50 states, there is much more work to do to end discrimination and ensure LGBT Americans have full equality under the law. In many states, people who are LGBT can still be fired, denied credit and evicted from their home simply based on who they are and who they love. This is wrong, and I will continue to fight until all Americans have equal rights and protections.”

Currently, there is no uniform federal standard that protects all LGBT Americans from discrimination. Although Washington state already prohibits most forms of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, a majority of states do not have such laws and some are even considering legislation that would legalize discrimination.

The Equality Act, led by Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), provides explicit, consistent civil rights protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in credit, education, employment, federal funding, housing, jury service and public accommodations.  

###