Headline RoundupFebruary 25th, 2021

US House Passes The Equality Act

Summary from the AllSides News Team

The House of Representatives voted 224-206 on Thursday to pass the Equality Act, a bill which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The act expands protections from discrimination based on sex to protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; it also expands on a 2020 Supreme Court ruling protecting some LGBTQ+ rights, including employment, education, housing, credit, jury service and other areas. The bill would cover federally funded programs and public accommodations, and also says it would trump the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which causes alarm for those concerned with religious liberty. The Democratic-led House had passed the measure before in 2019, but was killed by Senate Republicans. Currently, Democrats control both chambers of Congress, though the bill will likely meet resistance in the Senate, where it will need 60 votes to overcome a legislative filibuster. Coverage on all sides of the political spectrum provided speculation about the bill's chances of passing through the Senate, and highlighted the ideological clash between liberals who support the bill and conservatives concerned with religious freedom.

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