Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, this bill will immediately proceed to final passage here on the floor, as amended. This amendment is very simple. It would exempt from the requirements of the underlying bill a rule prohibiting discrimination by Federal contractors or subcontractors on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and require such contractors to take affirmative measures to prevent discrimination on those bases from occurring. This amendment is consistent with the executive order signed by President Obama on July 21, 2014, that added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories covered by Federal contractors--protections that were originally put in place by President Lyndon Johnson, a leader who did so much to advance equality in our country. Today, while we have made great strides in terms of marriage equality, members of the LGBT community still face significant discrimination in employment as well as a variety of other important areas of life. As many of my colleagues are aware, it is still legal in most States to fire a qualified person from a job that they are performing well simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Today, in many places across the country, a gay couple can get married on Saturday, post pictures online on Sunday, and get fired from their jobs or kicked out of their apartments on Monday.…”