By: Mary Wilson, Opinions Editor
When I sat down to write this article, my deadline growing closer, I hesitated. What decade was I living in? The Stonewall riots were 50 years ago. Same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states in 2015. There are occasionally queer couples featured in TV advertisements. Queer and transgender people are coming out earlier, and some children’s hospitals have gender identity clinics for trans and gender non confirming youth. It’s been easy to feel almost complacent.
We can’t afford to feel complacent. We’ve come too far to feel complacent.
And then in late August, the Trump administration issued a devastating blow to the LGBTQ community. Time Magazine reported that the Trump administration filed an amicus brief, which the Public Health Law Center defines as “legal documents filed in appellate court cases by non-litigants with a strong interest in the subject matter”, asking the Supreme Court to “essentially legalize anti-gay discrimination in the workplace.” The brief was filed by Solicitor General Noel Fransisco, who argued that federal laws on discrimination by employers does include people being fired or “otherwise disenfranchised” because of their sexual orientation.
Earlier in August, the Justice Department filed a similar brief asking the Justices to “conclude that Title VII does not protect transgender people from employer discrimination.”
The American Association of University Women says that “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion.”
In the 55 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, Congress has not amended it to include sexual orientation or gender identity. However, in May 2019, the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which, according to govtrack.us, would “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes.”
Govtrack.us says the bill has a 33% chance of being passed in the Senate and being enacted, while the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) “found that nationally, support for a bill like the Equality Act topped 70%, which includes a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.”
Call me idealistic, but should discrimination really be a liberal or conservative issue? Being a member of the LGBTQ community, I know I’m biased, but shouldn’t discrimination be a human rights issue?
So why hasn’t a law like the Equality Act been passed? If our elected officials truly serve their constituents, why haven’t the laws been updated?
It is time for Americans to decide what our values are. If more than 70% supports a bill like the Equality Act, it’s time for Congress to listen. Are we really comfortable with no national laws protecting the rights of LGBTQ Americans?
As the saying goes, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”
It’s time for us to pay attention.
The U.S. Senators for Missouri are Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt. Senator Blunt can be reached at: (202) 224 5721. Senator Hawley can be reached at: (202) 224 6154.
Oh, and one other thing: elections have consequences. If you’re not already registered to vote, you can do so at vote.gov. We can’t afford to feel complacent. We have to act.
