Marking a milestone under the current Democratic-led Congress, the United States House of Representatives Thursday voted to pass the Equality Act. The Act, which was first passed by the House in 2019, found a road-block in the then-Republican led Senate. To pass the Senate this time, the Act would need to received 60 votes, unless Senators voted to remove the filibuster.
The Equality Act is set to enshrine LGBTQ+ rights into Federal Civil Rights law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. President Biden has been supportive of the Act and has expressed interest in passing it.
Several religious groups have opposed the act claiming it would require them to allow church spaces to be rented out for LGBTQ causes and would somehow reduce student access to free or reduced-price lunches. Claims that many others say are unfounded and indicative of systemic homophobia among organizations like the Church of Latter-Day Saints and Seventh-Day Adventists.
Known QAnon conspirator and freshman House rep Marjorie Taylor Greene held a rally outside the Capitol, even hanging a banner in the hall outside her office saying "There are TWO genders: Male & Female. Trust the science!". Greene, however, doesn't trust the science when it comes to global warming, COVID-19 precautions, or counting ballots.
Senator Jeff Merkley stated he will push for an end to the filibuster in order to pass the Equality Act, saying via Tweet: "Trans rights are human rights. We must pass the Equality act!"