Omnibus Gay Rights Bill Introduced in Congress (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Sept. 16, 2015 |
| Report Number |
LS_2015-09-16_01 |
| Report Type |
Legal Sidebar |
| Authors |
Davis, Christopher M., 1966- |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Less than a month after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, several Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would offer sweeping legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in a broad array of areas, including public accommodations, employment, and housing. Although the primary focus of the bill, entitled the Equality Act, appears to be expanding legal rights for LGBT individuals, the proposed legislation would add sex discrimination to several existing civil rights laws as well. Under current federal law, a variety of civil rights statutes are available to protect individuals from discrimination. Although these laws share similar features, the type of discrimination that they prohibit and the circumstances under which they operate vary from statute to statute. In general, these laws have traditionally barred discrimination against a select group of protected categories, including, but not limited to, race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, and disability. In contrast, sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination have never been expressly prohibited by federal statute, although there may be some circumstances under which discrimination against LGBT individuals may violate current law. The Equality Act would alter the current legal landscape by amending existing civil rights laws in order to explicitly protect LBGT individuals as well.
