Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) voted to pass H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.  The Equality Act extends anti-discrimination protections not just in the workplace, but in other public fields– in education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations, and more.

“No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or who they love,” said Rep. Ross. “Unfortunately, North Carolina is no stranger to discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. In 2016, the state government passed a bill that required people to use the bathrooms, changing rooms, and showers that corresponded to the sex on their birth certificates in state-run buildings. This bill was not only a human rights catastrophe but also an economic disaster, leading countless businesses and events to withdraw from the state.

This is exactly why we need the Equality Act: to reaffirm at the federal level that freedom from discrimination is a fundamental civil right that belongs to every American.”

Earlier this week, Rep. Ross spoke in support of the bill in the House Rules Committee.

According to Equality North Carolina, LGBTQ+ North Carolinians are vulnerable to discrimination because of a lack of comprehensive nondiscrimination protections at the state and federal level – and because of HB 142, which for years prohibited cities and towns from passing their own LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances. In December, a key provision of HB 142 expired and municipalities regained the ability to pass local nondiscrimination protections. Despite this change, only five cities and one county have passed such an ordinance, guaranteeing that only 7% of North Carolinians are protected from discrimination.

H.R. 5 specifically amends:

• Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide basic protections against discrimination in public accommodations by adding sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity;
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide basic protections against discrimination by recipients of federal financial assistance by adding sex, including sexual orientation, and gender identity;
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to make explicit protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;
• The Fair Housing Act to make protections against housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity explicit;
• The Equal Credit Opportunity Act to make protections against credit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity explicit; and
• The Jury Selections and Services Act to make protections against discrimination in federal jury service based on sexual orientation or gender identity explicit.

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