More Than 1,000 Mothers Demand Congress Pass Equality Act

Over Mothers’ Day weekend, more than 1,000 moms, in true mom fashion, stood up for their kids and demanded Congress pass the Equality Act in an open letter to ensure full protection for LGBTQ Americans and children. “Moms do not back down when it comes to protecting our children,” it says.

“As mothers, we are asking you to pass the Equality Act to level the playing field for everyone, guaranteeing that LGBTQ children are extended the same federal anti-discrimination protections that other Americans have enjoyed for decades.”

The legislation would amend the language in the current civil rights protections to include protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of housing, education, public accommodations, and more. The bill passed the House in February, but the legislation is still in the Senate.

President Biden promised to pass the Equality Act within his first 100 days in office, a deadline which was not met, and called on lawmakers to send the bill to his desk at the end of April. In the same address, he told trans youth their “president has your back” and has had conversations with the Human Rights Campaign about combatting the slew of anti-trans bills introduced this year.

Almost half of states in the U.S. have statewide protections in the books that include LGBTQ people, though 29 states do not have these protections. In these states, without the federal protections the Equality Act provides, LGBTQ people can legally be refused housing, kicked out of a public business, or be denied government services simply because of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation.

“Americans share the bedrock value that every person deserves to be treated equally under the law,” the letter says. “That is why the Equality Act is a unifying issue for our nation.”

The open letter was organized by the campaign Freedom and Opportunity For All, which represents a number of LGBTQ civil rights organizations including the Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, The Trevor Project, and National Center for Trans Equality, among others.

HRC also posted a number of notes from parents who signed the statement on Twitter in conjunction with the letter’s release.

“This #MothersDay, I want you to know you are a precious gift to this world.” —A mom in Massachusetts.

Today, we are delivering notes of love from the mothers of HRC’s Parents of Transgender Equality Council to trans youth in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/RuMyGq5kHW

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) May 9, 2021

The letter comes in 2021, with anti-LGBTQ bills, specifically an abundance anti-trans bills targeting trans youth, being passed in record numbers. Senate republicans have held up the Equality Act due to fears stripping away religious freedoms, though more than 70 percent of Americans support LGBTQ nondiscrimination laws, and more than 400 businesses have recently come out in support of the act.

With the rhetoric and violence that comes with this legislation against people that are already struggling for representation and acceptance in our country, the letter indicates a common sentiment: passing the Equality Act is an urgent and lifesaving necessity.