Joe Biden vows to enact Equality Act in first 100 days: What is it? Why it remains important to LGBT

Washington, Nov 02: Former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has vowed to sign the Equality Act into law within 100 days of taking office should he win United States presidential election 2020.

In an interview with the Philadelphia Gay News, Biden also pledged to expand queer rights internationally by making equality a centerpiece of US diplomacy if he assumes office in January.

It should be noted that the Trump administration opposed the Equality Act, saying it would "undermine parental and conscience rights," and has also restricted queer rights in the name of religious liberty.

On June 15th, 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment.

LGBTQ rights advocates welcomed the ruling and reaffirmed support for passage of the Equality Act, noting that the ruling only covered employment and in many states LGBTQ people still lack non-discrimination protections in housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and jury service which would be covered under the Equality Act.

What is the Equality Act?

The Equality Act would provide consistent and explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.

The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights law-including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Jury Selection and Services Act, and several laws regarding employment with the federal government-to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The legislation also amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination in public spaces and services and federally funded programs on the basis of sex.

The Equality Act would update the public spaces and services covered in current law to include retail stores, services such as banks and legal services, and transportation services. These important updates would strengthen existing protections for everyone.

The Equality Act was passed in the House by a bipartisan vote of 236-173 on May 17, 2019. The bill defines 'gender identity' as "the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth" and defines 'sexual orientation' as "homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality."