Allred Votes to Protect LBGTQ Americans From Discrimination as Equality Act Passes House with Bipartisan Support

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32), today voted for the Equality Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support. Allred is an original cosponsor of the bill which would codify civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans in federal law.

"No American should be discriminated against because of who they are or who they love," said Allred. "The bipartisan Equality Act makes real progress towards ensuring that all LGBTQ Americans, no matter where they live, have protections under federal law."

The Equality Act has earned support from a broad coalition including the AFL-CIO, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the NAACP, and more than 350 American businesses.

Background on the Equality Act:

Despite significant legal advances over the past several years, including the right to marry, LGBTQ Americans remain vulnerable to discrimination and in most states, including Texas, a same-sex couple can get married one day and be legally denied service at a restaurant or evicted from their apartment the next.

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.

Only 23 states have explicit laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and only 22 states have such protections for gender identity.

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