Fifty years after Stonewall, the Equality Act may finally become federal law

Fifty years ago today — June 28, 1969 — LGBTQ+ people rioted against a police raid of the Stonewall Inn. Now, five decades after that contentious moment in the fight for equality, it is still legal for employers to fire LGBTQ+ employees just because of their identity in most parts of this country. That may soon finally change.

On May 17, the Equality Act — which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, workplaces, public accommodations, and other settings — passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. If made federal law, this bill would help address the gaps LGBTQ+ people still face in civil rights law, which means that they would no longer have to rely on local ordinances or state laws to protect them. 

This protection is still highly necessary. For example, the Supreme Court is set to hear a number of cases regarding LGBTQ+ workplace discrimination in the coming months including R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC & Aimee Stephens, which centers on an employee of nearly 20 years who was fired from her job in 2013 after coming out as transgender to her boss. Aimee lives in Michigan, which is not one of the 21 states (and the District of Columbia) that explicitly legally prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

These are not isolated cases. Studies have shown that about half of LGBTQ+ people stay closeted at work out of fear of discrimination from their employers and coworkers. Research shows that between fifteen and forty-three percent of gay and transgender workers have experienced discrimination at their workplaces, and ninety percent of transgender workers have experienced harassment or discrimination at work. In places where different identities aren’t accepted, being closeted at work isn’t a precaution, it’s a survival method; Many vulnerable LGBTQ individuals can’t risk the food, shelter, and healthcare their jobs provide in exchange for freely expressing their identities without legal protection.  

While passing in the House is a significant victory, the fight to make the Equality Act federal law is still ongoing; The bill needs to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate, where it will face much more opposition than it did the liberal majority House. It’s worth noting, however, that this opposition does not reflect the majority opinion of American citizens. A recent study from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that a majority of Americans support anti-discrimination laws for LGBTQ+ people, including 79 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of independents and 56 percent of Republicans. 

Pride Month should not only serve as a celebration of progress but as a benchmark to help see where still needs work. The Equality Act represents one of the critical steps to ensure that LGBTQ+ people can live openly without fear.