Expected at Tuesday's ceremony is Oregon senator Jeff Merkley, Washington senator Patty Murray, New Jersey senator Cory Booker, and out politicians like Wisconsin senator Tammy Baldwin and Rhode Island congressman David Cicilline; Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, and Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, will also be in attendance. Many of the politicians and activists gathering at the Capitol on Tuesday supported an earlier iteration of the Equality Act, which stalled in a House committee during President Obama's second term.
The legislation will obviously face an uphill battle, with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, as well as the presidency. While President Trump claims to be an advocate for LGBT rights, he doesn't support marriage equality and has waged a war against LGBT rights, especially transgender rights, during his first 100 days, which have been marked by chaos and failure.
If it ever passes, the Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sexual orientation and gender identity as groups protected against discrimination in housing, employment, and public accomodations. Currently, over half of LGBT Americans live in jurisdictions where they can be legally fired or denied an apartment or mortgage simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
