OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Equality Act

Floor Speech

Date: May 17, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

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Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, there are hard votes and there are easy votes. The hard votes involve competing values and difficult tradeoffs; the easy ones give us a chance to express our core American values loudly and clearly.

H.R. 5 is the right vote, and I thank Representative Cicilline for his hard work and his heart in bringing this piece of justice to us.

In most States, same-sex couples can be denied service in restaurants, fired from jobs, and evicted from homes with no legal recourse. In other words, they can be mistreated or discriminated against, and their government won't stand up for them.

H.R. 5 will end that. This bipartisan legislation will ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and so much more. It says that we don't care who you love, but we do care that you are treated with decency and respect.

This legislation takes us the next step in a long American tradition of expanding civil rights and protections. It affirms that, in this country, there is no ``us'' and ``them,'' it is just us.

This is a historic day. I am proud to be a part of it. Let's cast aside old prejudices and cast a vote for justice and equality.

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