WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, hundreds of constituents from states across the country met with and urged senators from 38 states to support the Equality Act — historic federal legislation that would modernize and improve our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ+ people and women, and expanding protections for women, people of color, people of all faiths, and national origins. The meetings — part of a virtual lobby day — were spearheaded and organized by the Freedom & Opportunity For All campaign, a national campaign advocating for the urgent passage of the Equality Act, co-founded and led by 16 of the nation’s leading advocates for equality and supported by hundreds of the nation’s top leaders in civil rights, faith, education, health care, and advocacy.
Nearly 500 constituents from 38 states joined in the virtual lobby day, holding 75 different meetings with their senators to share why the Equality Act is urgently needed. Participants also used the hashtags #AllinforEquality and #Act4Equality on social media to post about why it’s important to pass the Equality Act — to defend the rights of the 13 million Americans who lack adequate federal protections.
Currently, 29 states do not have laws that explicitly protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. Without the Equality Act, LGBTQ+ people remain vulnerable to being evicted from their homes, kicked out of a business that’s open to the public, denied health care, removed from a jury, or denied government services in a majority of states simply because of who they are.
With nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ people having reported experiencing discrimination in their personal lives, the Equality Act would level the playing field for everyone, guaranteeing that LGBTQ+ people are extended the same federal anti-discrimination protections that others in the United States have enjoyed for decades. It would also extend protections to millions of women who aren’t covered under some existing federal anti-discrimination laws and expand the public spaces and services that can’t discriminate against anyone based on race, national origin, or religion.
Broad, Overwhelming Support for the Equality Act
Freedom & Opportunity For All — co-founded and led by 16 of the nation’s leading advocates for equality — reflects the broad and overwhelming support for the Equality Act mirrored in communities across the country. Recent polling from Hart Research Associates finds that 70 percent of Americans (including 50 percent of Republicans) support the Equality Act.
To date, a majority of Americans, hundreds of members of Congress, hundreds of advocacy organizations, and more than 60 business associations — including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers — have endorsed the Equality Act. Nearly 400 major U.S. companies — including dozens of Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, Apple, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and Kellogg — have endorsed the Equality Act because they believe it is good for their employees and their businesses. Collectively, these companies have headquarters based in 33 states overseeing operations in all 50 states, and generate a collective revenue of $6.5 trillion. In total, these companies employ more than 13.5 million people across the United States.
For more information about Freedom & Opportunity For All, please visit its website at www.PassTheEqualityAct.com.
About the Equality Act
Currently, 29 states do not have laws that explicitly protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. Without the Equality Act, LGBTQ+ Americans remain vulnerable to being evicted from their homes, kicked out of a business that’s open to the public, denied health care, or denied government services in a majority of states simply because of who they are. The Equality Act would provide clear, consistent non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people across critical areas, including housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service. The Equality Act also extends protections to millions of women — who aren’t covered by some existing federal anti-discrimination laws — to ensure they don’t have to live in fear of harassment or discrimination. In addition, it modernizes public accommodations law to provide increased protections to people of color and people of all faiths.
Freedom & Opportunity For All is a national campaign advocating for the urgent passage of the Equality Act — historic federal legislation that would modernize and improve our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ+ people, as well as women, people of color, and people of all faiths. The campaign — supported by hundreds of the nation’s top leaders in civil rights, faith, education, health care, and advocacy — is co-founded and led by 16 of the nation’s leading advocates for equality, including Center for American Progress; Equality Federation; Freedom for All Americans; GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders; GLSEN; Human Rights Campaign; Lambda Legal; National Black Justice Coalition; National Center for Lesbian Rights; National Center for Transgender Equality; National LGBTQ+ Task Force; National Women’s Law Center; PFLAG National; SAGE; Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund; and The Trevor Project. More information can be found at www.PassTheEqualityAct.com.
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