Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) voted to pass H.R. 5, the Equality Act, to ensure that all LGBTQ Americans are granted the full protections guaranteed by federal civil rights law. The Equality Act extends anti-discrimination protections not just in the workplace, but in every place – in employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations. 

“Alabama’s 7th Congressional District is America’s Civil Rights District, where men and women marched, bled and even died fighting for equality and justice. Today, I was proud to vote in favor of the Equality Act, which grants the full protections guaranteed by the civil rights law to all LGBTQ Americans.” said Rep. Terri Sewell. “If any district understands the pangs of discrminiation in America, it is in our district, where peaceful demonstrators were bludgeoned on a bridge simply for advocating for their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. I am proud to join my colleagues in voting to ensure the values of equality and justice are the law of the land for all Americans by passing the Equality Act.” 

Background of the Equality Act

Countless members of the national LGBTQ community still live in states where, though they have the right to marry, they have no explicit, state-level non-discrimination protections in other areas of daily life. In 27 states, LGBTQ Americans do not have state protections against being denied housing because of their sexual orientation; 31 states lack protections regarding access to education; and 38 states lack protections regarding jury service. In at least half of the states, a same-sex couple can get married one day and legally denied service at a restaurant or be evicted from their apartment the next. The Equality Act amends existing federal civil rights laws to create a nationwide standard that explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity everywhere.  

In one of its first actions, the Biden-Harris Administration issued an Executive Order directing all federal agencies to fully comply with the Bostock v. Clayton decision, but the Equality Act remains necessary to codify civil rights protections in every arena of life in America and ensure that future administrations cannot reinterpret the Supreme Court ruling or deny LGBTQ individuals their full rights and protections.  

The Equality Act enjoys the overwhelming support of the American people – 70 percent of whom favor the legislation’s vital protections – as well as robust support from the business community, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of leading businesses and corporations that recognize that the strength of our economy and our society requires equal protection under the law.

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