The bill aims to expand anti-discrimination protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations, employment, housing, and other areas. It emphasizes the harm caused by discrimination and seeks to address it through amendments to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, aiming to provide clear guidance and consistency in upholding anti-discrimination laws. The bill impacts federal funding, employment practices, intervention, miscellaneous provisions, and housing, seeking to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Chapter 121 of Title 28 of the United States Code to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity in credit transactions and jury matters.
Equality Act
This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity with respect to businesses, employment, housing, federally funded programs, and other settings.
Specifically, the bill expands Title II and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit public accommodations and federally funded programs, respectively, from discriminating based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It also includes stores, transit services, recreational facilities, and establishments that provide health care, accounting, or legal services as public accommodations under Title II.
The bill also expands Title IV (desegregation of public schools) and Title VII (employment discrimination) to specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity. (The Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII's prohibition of employment discrimination based on sex also prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.)
The bill similarly expands the Fair Housing Act (discrimination in public and private housing) to include sexual orientation and gender identity. It also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity by creditors and with respect to jury selection.
The bill defines sex for purposes of the aforementioned provisions to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.
