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Representative Houlahan Celebrates The Historic Passage Of The Equality Act

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) voted to pass H.R. 5, the Equality Act, of which she is an original cosponsor. This bipartisan legislation will ensure all LGBTQ Americans are guaranteed the full protections of federal civil right laws and will extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ Americans with regard to employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and public accommodations. The House passed the bill 236-173.

“When I decided to run for Congress, I sat down with my daughter, my Molly,” said Houlahan. “I asked her what she thought about sharing our family’s stories with the public. I wasn’t surprised when she told me ‘yes.’ Her bravery knows no limit. She explained to me I had to share her story of being a young gay woman because it had the power to reach someone out there, someone who was afraid because of whom they loved, was afraid of people’s reactions to their gender identity, was afraid of being themselves. On that day, I made a promise to Molly: If elected, I would do everything I could to pass legislation that protected her community, the LGBTQ community. I would do everything I could to ensure that LGBTQ Americans were treated equally under the law. Today, I made good on my promise to my Molly. I won’t stop fighting until every LGBTQ American receives equal protection under the law. To my Molly, my Pennsylvania, and my LGBTQ brothers and sisters across the country: today is for you.”

Representative Houlahan’s Floor speech on the Equality Act can be seen here.

The Equality Act amends existing federal civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, Federal jury service, public accommodations, and the use of Federal funds. It does so by adding sex in some places where it had not previously been protected, and clarifying that sex includes sexual orientation and gender identity. H.R. 5 amends:
*Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide basic protections against discrimination in public accommodations by adding sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity;
*Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide basic protections against discrimination by recipients of federal financial assistance by adding sex, including sexual orientation, and gender identity;
*Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to make explicit protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;
*The Fair Housing Act to make protections against housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity explicit;
*The Equal Credit Opportunity Act to make protections against credit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity explicit; and
*The Jury Selections and Services Act to make protections against discrimination in federal jury service based on sexual orientation or gender identity explicit.

 

 

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She’s in her first term representing Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Small Business Committee.

 

 

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