Large Majority of Americans Support Equality Act
A new poll conducted by Hart Research and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) found that 70 percent of American voters support the federal Equality Act. The act, if passed, would explicitly protect LGBTQ Americans from discrimination in housing, employment, credit opportunities, education, and other public services and spaces.
While a number of pro-LGBTQ actions have been taken in the past year, including the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, and President Biden’s protective executive order in January, LGBTQ people are still vulnerable to discrimination. A future administration could refuse to enforce the Bostock decision and reverse the executive order enacted by Biden. The Equality Act would ensure that LGBTQ rights are protected at the federal level for years to come.
Nearly all demographic and partisan groups support the bill. Democrats backed the bill with the highest majority, at 88 percent. Racially, Black people are the most likely to support the bill: 81 percent of Black people surveyed were in favor of the act, compared to 67 percent of white people and 76 percent of Latinx people. The only groups without a clear majority of support for the act were republicans and white Evangelicals, both of whom were split evenly in favor of and against the act.
The individual components of the bill were popular across the board. Eighty-four percent of Americans supported expanding protections for women and racial and religious minorities, while 82 percent supported prohibiting discrimination against family members of LGBTQ people. When asked if those perceived to be LGBTQ should be protected from discrimination, 79 percent of those surveyed agreed. A slightly lower percentage, 77 percent, favored federally outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Participants were also asked if they thought businesses should be banned from refusing services to LGBTQ people based on religious beliefs. 70 percent of those surveyed said they were in favor of the ban. The poll notes that 59 percent of white Evangelicals, one of the most anti-LGBTQ demographics in the country, were in support of this component as well.
When asked about trans rights, the participants overwhelmingly believed transgender people should be able to live freely and openly, access healthcare, and receive transgender-specific medical assistance. The survey also presented participants with the phrase, “Sports are important in young people’s lives. Young transgender people should be allowed opportunities to participate in a way that is safe and comfortable for them,” and asked them if they agreed with the statement. Seventy-three percent agreed.
HRC President Alphonso David spoke out on the importance of the bill. “The Equality Act is supported by a bipartisan majority of voters, the business community, faith and civil rights leaders, and communities in virtually every corner of the nation. It’s time for the senate to catch up to the American public and finally pass the Equality Act so that all Americans can be treated equally in the eyes of the law,” he stated.
