Pennsylvania’s senior senator this week became the latest Senate Democrat to get behind a legislative proposal to expand federal civil rights law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class.
The bill, called the Equality Act, has 41 Democratic co-sponsors in the U.S. Senate and one Republican co-sponsor: Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois.
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., says the bill would add provisions to the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to bar discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace, in school and in other areas.
As we begin Pride Month, I want to announce that I will be cosponsoring the Equality Act, a bill to basic LGBT rights.
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 2, 2016
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Under federal law and under Pennsylvania law, same-sex couples may get married, but gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people can still be fired from their jobs on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. To be able to get married on a Saturday and fired when you return to work on Monday, Casey said, “obviously makes no sense.”
“It’s contrary to our values, and we have to correct it,” he said during a Thursday afternoon conference call with reporters.
The Equality Act was written by Democratic senators and introduced in July 2015. A companion bill in the U.S. House has 174 co-sponsors, including one Republican.
Casey is joining the Senate effort as North Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky and Kansas have entered the political fray over questions of transgender bathroom use and equality in public schools.
No state has the right to deny any group of Americans their civil rights.
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
On Thursday, Casey called laws such as North Carolina’s HB2 “state-sponsored discrimination.”
States have autonomy to pass their own laws, Casey said, “but no state has the right to deny any group of Americans their civil rights.”
It’s taken Casey nearly a year to back the Equality Act.
“I spent a substantial amount of time analyzing it and talking to experts,” he said, noting the bill’s “sweeping” scope and impact, if passed.
He said he wanted to ensure that religious freedoms were protected, as well, concluding, “We can accommodate both interests.”
The Equality Act is likely to face opposition from Republicans, who hold a majority in Congress. Casey said it’s unlikely the bill could pass this year.
Anna Douglas: 202-383-6012, @ADouglasNews
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