Rep. Gabbard Votes to Pass Equality Act
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawai‘i-02) voted in support of H.R. 5, the Equality Act, on Friday, May 17, 2019, which was passed by the House of Representatives this afternoon. She is an original cosponsor of the legislation.
H.R. 5 passed the House by a vote of 236-173. The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
“By passing the Equality Act today, we affirm that all Americans must be treated equally under the law—regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national origin,” said Rep. Gabbard. “I urge the Senate to promptly take up and also pass this important legislation to end the discrimination that still plagues our fellow Americans.”
H.R. 5 was introduced in March 2019 with strong, bipartisan support. It would amend existing civil rights legislation to include explicit protection to the LGBT community. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, federal jury service, public accommodations and the use of federal funds.