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EQUAL PROTECTION AND RIGHTS FOR ALL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) for 5 minutes.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Equality Act, long overdue legislation to continue the progress made under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Opportunity Act, and other vital laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
These civil rights laws were passed to provide critical protections for people who unnecessarily live in fear and were unfairly persecuted simply because of who they were. They were passed because the promise of America--equal treatment under the law--was nonnegotiable. It is still nonnegotiable.
So with the Equality Act, we must take the next step to guarantee equal protection and rights under the law for all, no matter who you love or your gender identity. The Equality Act seeks to stamp out discrimination against the LGBTQIA community--something that we, unfortunately, see far too often.
Mr. Speaker, no one should face discrimination in employment, housing, education, public space, or federally funded programs because of who they are or who they love. I am proud to be an ally of the LGBTQIA community and have worked to advance these rights and protections with groups and individuals throughout my career in public service, including hiring an out, HIV positive, gay man to serve as my first Congressional chief of staff.
In 1986, while serving on the New York City Council, I introduced the first bill to legally recognize same-sex partnerships in New York State history, and I had to threaten the city of New York to even get the bill printed. City officials said the bill was unconstitutional and could not even be printed. And while we have made great progress--the bill was printed and passed since then--we still have work to do.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud that New York State recently enacted legislation to repeal the ``walking while trans'' ban, but we must ensure that the LGBTQIA community has these protections and equal rights all throughout the country. Access to equal rights should not depend on your ZIP Code.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me today in voting to pass the Equality Act so that every American, regardless of who they love has equal protection under the law.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 36
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