WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Co-Chair of the Equality Caucus Transgender Equality Taskforce, issued the following statement on the introduction of the Equality Act. The legislation, which would provide consistent, nationwide, explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people across the country, has been led by CPC members since 2015 and was introduced in this Congress by Representative Mark Takano (CA-39), CPC Vice Chair for Policy.
“The Equality Act has never been more important than it is in 2023. Despite landmark Supreme Court decisions that affirmed the right of LGBTQ+ people to marry and to constitutional protections in the workplace, the community is under a vicious, coordinated attack in localities and states across the country. Nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year alone. Transgender and nonbinary people are the subject of a daily onslaught of harassment, discrimination, and bigotry, including from the highest levels of the Republican Party.
“Now more than ever, it is incumbent upon Democrats to stand up and support the LGBTQ+ community loudly and unequivocally. The Progressive Caucus has a proud history of leadership of and support for the Equality Act; I’m thrilled to see the first openly gay person of color elected to Congress, Representative Takano, advancing this legislation. LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender and nonbinary people, have the right to equal access to education, to work, to housing, and to exist in public life. We will fight alongside our colleagues until that is the lived reality of every member of the LGBTQ+ community, and the Equality Act becomes law.”
