Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.
A comprehensive LGBT nondiscrimination bill will be introduced in Congress on Thursday, according to BuzzFeed.
Out gay Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., will introduce the bills.
“No one in our community should be at risk of being fired, evicted from their home, or denied services because of who they are or whom they love,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin in a statement.
He said the bill is necessary because the “unacceptable patchwork of state-level protections for LGBT people, and more than half of LGBT Americans live in a state that lacks fully-inclusive non-discrimination laws.”
Texas is one of 28 states without a statewide policy protecting LGBT employees from workplace discrimination. It is one of 29 states without laws protecting LGBT individuals in public accommodations.
The bill would “provide explicit, consistent protections for sexual orientation and gender identity,” Cicilline wrote in a letter circulated among his colleagues. Those protections include areas often overlooked by many LGBT activists covering seven key federal laws: housing, public accommodations, employment, credit, juries and federal funds, public education, and renting and home ownership.
“The time has come in this country for full, federal equality, and nothing less. A federal non-discrimination bill would create permanent and clear protections to ensure that all employees are hired, fired or promoted based on their performance,” Griffin said. “All LGBT Americans deserve a fair chance to earn a living and provide for their families.”
