Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on the Equality Act — federal legislation that would guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's existing civil rights laws. The legislation would provide clear and permanent protections under federal law for all Americans in vital areas of life -- including housing, access to public spaces, credit, education, jury service and federally-funded programs. In response, HRC Spokesperson Wyatt Ronan issued the following statement:
“Today, HRC President Alphonso David, United Church of Christ Minister Dr. Edith Guffey and transgender teenager Stella Keating showed America exactly why the Equality Act is desperately needed. For far too long, LGBTQ people have been denied the same civil rights protections enjoyed by their fellow Americans. Americans are united in the idea that LGBTQ people deserve protections, and that the Equality Act is not legislation whose time has come, but rather legislation whose time is well past due.
“However, today also showed just how out of touch Republican members of the Judiciary Committee, aside from Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), are with the American public, their own party’s voters and their own records. This morning, the Human Rights Campaign issued a new poll showing 70% of Americans, including 50% of Republicans, support the Equality Act. They join the hundreds of members of Congress and more than 600 organizations -- including civil rights, education, health care, and faith-based organizations -- who also support the bill.
“All but one of Republican Judiciary Committee member openly spread disinformation about what the Equality Act actually does — outright lying about applicable religious exemptions and applications to women’s programs including sports. Instead, they chose to spew talking points from anti-LGBTQ hate groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom. We had hoped for a healthy exchange and a genuine well-intentioned conversation about the legislation and its implications. Instead, these committee members spewed language that undoubtedly harmed the mental health of transgender children: misgendering them, openly and unabashedly discussing their genitalia, arguing they do not exist, and asserting they are not equal to their fellow citizens.
“We look forward to having a conversation rooted in the facts about the Equality Act, like Senator Tillis suggested, that focuses on reaching across the divide between lawmakers and the public who already overwhelmingly support federal non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people.”
