Title
To Support Passage of the Equality Act
Body
WHEREAS, the Equality Act has been reintroduced as H.R. 2282 and S. 1006 in the 115th Congress of the United States of America to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus has a long history of opposing discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, and disability thanks in part to the dedicated work of local partners like Stonewall Columbus and Equality Ohio; and
WHEREAS, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people commonly experience discrimination in credit, education, employment, housing, government-funded programs, jury service, and public accommodations; and
WHEREAS, women commonly experience discrimination in government-funded programs and public accommodations, including sexual harassment, differential pricing, and denial of services; and
WHEREAS, LGBTQ people and women have a right to live free from discrimination in all aspects of their lives, including but not limited to employment, education, housing, public accommodations, all government-funded programs, and jury service; and
WHEREAS, the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii. Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington plus the District of Columbia have laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations; and
WHEREAS, only a federal law can protect the rights of LGBTQ people and women nationwide; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council does hereby call upon Congress to pass the Equality Act to ensure that federal civil rights laws are fully inclusive of protections on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.