On the recordFebruary 25, 2021
As a founding vice chair of the LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, I am proud, once again, to cast my vote for the Equality Act. It is my sincere hope that this is finally the year that it will be signed into law. In dozens of States, including my own, LGBTQ Americans are still denied housing, discriminated against in education, or denied service at businesses. The Trump administration ruthlessly attacked the LGBTQ community's rights from the transgender military ban to allowing doctors to deny medical care to LGBTQ individuals. States have continued to put forward so-called bathroom bills. Legislators in my own State have introduced bills to deny medical care to trans children and prevent trans youth from playing sports. Even worse, 44 trans Americans were murdered in 2020, the deadliest year on record. We can't tolerate any more discrimination. It costs lives. The Equality Act is vital so that Americans everywhere can love whom they love and be their authentic selves without fear of persecution, eviction, or discrimination.
