Rep. Mark Takano Statement on the Passage of the Equality Act
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released this statement on the House passage of the Equality Act. Rep. Takano is a co-Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus and in 2012 he became the first openly gay person of color elected to Congress.
“Over the past few years, we have seen progress being made to establish rights for LGBTQ+ people in America. Marriage equality is a right nationwide and last year the Supreme Court extended protection from discrimination to LGBTQ+ people in the workplace. But the sad reality is that in far too many states, the LGBTQ+ community still faces discrimination in key areas of life, and they do not enjoy the same civil rights as other Americans. This disparity is particularly harmful to vulnerable members of our community, including trans people and queer people of color, who face greater discrimination and violence motivated by hate. Today’s historic passage of the Equality Act in the House is a major step toward fixing this injustice and guaranteeing full federal civil rights protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
“As a gay Member of Congress, I’m inspired by how popular the Equality Act is among the American people. Its popularity is thanks to decades of advocacy by LGBTQ+ activists who have been on the frontlines of a movement for greater acceptance, to protect the lives of LGBTQ+ people, and to expand our rights. The people agree, equality should not depend on your zip code. With the passage of this landmark bill, equality is within reach. Now, we have to use every legislative tool at our disposal to get the Equality Act passed in the Senate and signed into law by President Biden.”
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