Pappas Helps Re-introduce Landmark Equality Act
Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress, helped re-introduce the Equality Act in the 119th Congress. Pappas is an original co-sponsor of this legislation, which passed the House in the 117th Congress.
This legislation amends existing civil rights statutes to provide LGBTQ+ Americans with the same protections all other Americans enjoy in key areas of life, including employment, housing, public accommodations, federally funded programs, education, jury selection, and credit. The Equality Act strengthens protections not just for LGBTQ+ people but also women, as it ensures nondiscrimination protections on the basis of sex in federally funded programs and public accommodations—two areas of law where sex discrimination is currently not prohibited. The Equality Act has overwhelming public support, with more than seven in ten Americans supporting it.
"Full equality under the law. Nothing less, nothing more. That's what the Equality Act means to LGBTQ+ Americans who for far too long have gone without these same legal protections guaranteed to others," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or whom they love. Passing the Equality Act will steer our nation closer to the promise of its founding principles by guaranteeing equality for all under the law. It’s past time to ensure the LGBTQ+ community is protected by our nation’s civil rights statutes and to move our country forward.”
Pappas serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and is New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress. In his role as Co-Chair of the Equality Caucus, he has helped to introduce and pass the Equality Act through the House of Representatives and enact the Respect for Marriage Act into law. Pappas also leads the LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act, which would ban the use of panic defenses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in federal courts; the SERVE Act, which would guarantee and protect VA benefits for LGBTQ+ veterans; and led successful calls for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reassess policy that blocked members of the LGBTQ+ community from donating blood.