Elijah Lewis: “during the Civil Rights movement, thousands upon thousands of Americans joined together for a single cause: To fight…”

“during the Civil Rights movement, thousands upon thousands of Americans joined together for a single cause: To fight discrimination and have all Americans treated equally under the law. Discrimination was not right then and it is not right now. Excluding someone from the workplace because of their sexual orientation is discrimination, plain and simple. It is wrong. It is dead wrong. The President's executive orders strengthens our Nation's commitment to equality. It bans discrimination based on sexual orientation. It is a simple thing to do. It is the right thing to do. Why? Why must we come to this floor again and again to demand equality for all Americans? What could be more American? It is unbelievable to me that 33 years after Selma and the signing of the Voting Rights Act we must still battle the forces of bigotry, discrimination and intolerance. I have fought too long and too hard against discrimination all of my life to go back now. We cannot go back. We will not go back. We must never go back. I urge all of my colleagues to stand for fairness, stand for justice, stand up for what is right. Oppose discrimination and vote against this misguided amendment.”