# The Equality Act: What It Does and Who It Affects

The Equality Act is a federal civil rights bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the same way that existing law already prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or religion. Right now, there's no explicit federal protection against this kind of discrimination in many areas of life, even though some states and cities have their own laws. This bill would create that protection nationwide by updating existing federal civil rights laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories.

The bill would apply these protections across several major areas of everyday life. In employment, it would make it illegal for employers to fire, refuse to hire, or treat someone unfairly because they're LGBTQ. In housing, landlords and sellers couldn't refuse to rent or sell to someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In public accommodations—restaurants, stores, hotels, hospitals, and other businesses open to the public—discrimination would be prohibited. The bill also covers credit and lending, so banks and credit card companies couldn't deny someone credit based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Additionally, it would protect LGBTQ people in foster care and adoption services, and it would prevent attorneys from excluding potential jurors simply because they're LGBTQ.

The bill also addresses a practice called "conversion therapy," which attempts to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity through psychological or physical interventions. The legislation treats this as a form of discrimination and aims to restrict it. For most people, this bill would mean that federal law explicitly protects LGBTQ individuals from being denied services, jobs, housing, or credit based on who they are. Supporters argue this closes gaps in existing protections and ensures equal treatment. Those with concerns about the bill often focus on how it might interact with religious beliefs and practices, though the bill does include some religious exemptions similar to those in existing civil rights laws.

Equality Act

Takano, Mark

Equality ActThis bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity with respect to businesses, employment, housing, federally funded programs, and other settings.Specifically, the bill expands Title II and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit public accommodations and federally funded programs, respectively, from discriminating based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It also includes stores, transit services, recreational facilities, and establishments that provide health care, accounting, or legal services as public accommodations under Title II.The bill also expands Title IV (desegregation of public schools) and Title VII (employment discrimination) to specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity. (The Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII's prohibition of employment discrimination based on sex also prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.)The bill similarly expands the Fair Housing Act (discrimination in public and private housing) to include sexual orientation and gender identity. It also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity by creditors and with respect to jury selection.The bill defines sex for purposes of the aforementioned provisions to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.