Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee held the first-ever Senate hearing on the Equality Act, federal legislation that would update existing civil rights statutes to expressly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, and other settings. Research by Williams Institute scholars was referenced a number of times during today’s hearing. The Equality Act passed the House of Representatives in March.
Williams Institute scholars provided the Senate Judiciary with new analyses and expert-written testimony that includes over 220 Williams Institute studies from the last decade. The testimony also contains new original research showing that people in both public and private sectors continue to report harassment and unfair treatment of LGBTQ people at work and school as well as in health care settings and by law enforcement.
Williams Institute empirical research has outlined the need for explicit federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans in all areas covered by the Equality Act, including
- Estimates on the number of LGBT people who would be protected by the Equality Act
- Data on the experiences of discrimination among LGB people in employment, housing, and education
- Joint testimony by Brad Sears, Christy Mallory, and Luis Vasquez with over 120 pages detailing a widespread and persistent pattern of unconstitutional discrimination against LGBT people by states in areas covered by the Equality Act
- Individual testimony by Williams Institute scholars on areas covered by the Equality Act including employment (M.V. Lee Badgett), education (Kerith Conron), state judicial systems (Todd Brower), foster care systems (Bianca D.M. Wilson), discrimination against transgender people (Jody L. Herman), and adverse experiences of LGBT people in employment, education, and housing (Ilan Meyer).
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