Civil Rights and Equality
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Congressmember Adriano Espaillat is a tireless advocate of civil rights, and has been a champion for the LGBTQ community. As one of his first acts in Congress, he joined the LGBT Equality Caucus.
Congressmember Espaillat was also an original cosponsor of the Equality Act of 2017.
- The Equality Act ensures that the same protections already extended to other protected classes are equally available to LGBT Americans. It amends existing federal civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, Federal jury service, public accommodations, and the use of Federal funds.
- In some of these areas, federal law prohibiting sex discrimination has already been properly interpreted by federal courts and administrative agencies to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
- The Equality Act affirms that understanding of existing law and makes the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity explicit, in order to provide greater clarity to members of the public, employers, schools, businesses and other affected parties. In areas where sex discrimination is not already prohibited, the bill amends existing law to bar discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Congressmember Espaillat is also a member of the Pro Choice Caucus, and has been vocal about Equal Pay for Equal Work.