The Equality Act Faces Transphobic Attacks from Senate Republicans
This past Wednesday, the Senate debated The Equality Act at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, and again, we heard the same, transphobic arguments that are popular with conservatives.
The Equality Act is landmark legislation that would expand civil rights law to include protections for LGBTQ people and make it illegal to discriminate against someone because of their sexual identity. The legislation passed in the House of Representatives and will need bipartisan support in the Senate to become law.
During the hearing, republican lawmakers made the same baseless arguments against the act, such as the idea that allowing transgender people to play in sports, was unfair, and that scholarships could be given unfairly given to transgender students. These claims are popular and made repeatedly by republicans all over the U.S. despite the fact that there is no evidence to back them up. These arguments are being made by lawmakers around the U.S to justify a slew of recently proposed, anti-trans bills.
“I am deeply concerned about this act’s negative implications for all girls,” says Senator Chuck Grassley.
Republicans also painted the bill as an attack on religious freedom, claiming it would revoke rights from religious institutions.
“The language is rather significantly broad and would almost inevitably put this law in a position of occupying a more significant place with respect to religious institutions,” says Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Conservative organizations have expressed strong opposition to the bill, claiming disastrous outcomes if the bill is passed. However, strong support for the bill was shown from democrats. Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis is the first openly-LGBTQ senator and expressed support for the bill.
“These changes are not about taking something away from others but about ensuring we all have access to the same rights of all Americans,” Baldwin says, adding that every time advances have been made for this group of citizens, “… opponents predict disaster that never comes to fruition.”
Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, testified at the hearing in support of the bill.
“The Equality Act does not force anyone to do anything other than not to discriminate. The legislation doesn’t create some new realities. It simply allows transgender students to not be discriminated against in sports … The NCAA and even international Olympic Committees already allow transgender athletes to participate and have for years,” David argued.
The hearing also included testimony from 16-year-old Stella Keating, a transgender girl who became the first transgender teen to testify before the Senate.
Despite the attacks from republicans on Wednesday, The Equality Act remains a popular bill. Seventy percent of Americans support the passing of the bill, and President Joe Biden has come out in support of the legislation.
