Skip to main content

Linda Sánchez Statement on Passage of the Equality Act

May 17, 2019

Washington, DCU.S. Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Vice-Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, issued the following statement on the U.S. House of Representative passage of H.R. 5, Equality Act. This critical legislation will ensure that LGBTQ Americans are guaranteed the full protections of federal civil rights laws.

"Over the past several years, our country has made immense, hard-fought progress towards equality for members of the LGBTQ community. Despite this progress, far too many LGBTQ Americans remain vulnerable to discrimination from those who seek to treat them as second-class citizens. In many states, LGBTQ people can get married, but also fired from their job or evicted by a landlord simply because of who they are.

"Everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves to be protected and treated equally under the law. The Equality Act amends existing federal civil rights laws to ensure that LGBTQ Americans are afforded the same protections from discrimination that we all enjoy. I am proud to join a bipartisan majority of my colleagues to support this historic legislation. Progress is never permanent, and I will never stop fighting for a more inclusive and equal society."