JACL Applauds House Passage of the Equality Act

Today, the United States House of Representatives took a major step forward for our nation in passing H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which will provide much needed civil rights protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals.The Equality Act will update our civil rights protections – including the Civil Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Jury Selection and Services Act, among others – to add protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

JACL President Jeffrey Moy notes, “This year is the 25th anniversary of JACL officially endorsing marriage equality. Today’s vote shows how far we have come as a nation in recognizing that LGBTQIA+ people should be able to live without the fear of losing their rights to access education, jobs, or housing. We have a long road ahead of us, but with today’s passage of the Equality Act, we are closer.”

The Equality Act has passed the House with bipartisan support. We thank Representatives David Cicilline (D-RI) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) for their leadership in achieving passage of this bill in the House. We now turn to the Senate to join the majority of Americans in supporting the Equality Act becoming law.

For JACL’s May 15 letter to the House of Representatives in support of the Equality Act, click here.