House passes Equality Act, expanding LGBTQ discrimination protections

The House voted on Thursday to pass the Equality Act, an LGBTQ rights bill that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

The bill passed with a 224-206 vote, with three Republican lawmakers joining all Democrats in supporting its passage. The Equality Act is essentially an amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, writes CNN, noting it's intended to expand protections against discrimination in housing, employment, and various public spaces. The act previously passed the House in 2019, but was not taken up for a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Even now that Democrats narrowly control the Senate, the bill is likely to hit some roadblocks, reports Bloomberg. It will likely need 60 Senate votes to overcome a legislative filibuster, not a simple majority, and many Republicans say it infringes on religious freedoms. Though President Biden has said he would sign it into law, Bloomberg's Steven Dennis predicts it "will likely need amendments to win over 10 Senate Rs."

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The lead-up to the bill's passage brought some tensions between lawmakers to the surface. The Washington Post reports that after the bill was debated, Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) hung a transgender pride flag outside her office, only for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to see it and hang a sign reading "There are TWO genders: Male & Female. Trust The Science!" in direct response to Newman, who has a transgender daughter. Many Democrats and some Republicans were quick to castigate Greene, who later argued the Equality Act "is about causing discrimination against women and religious freedom."