House Democrats celebrated Pride Month in style on June 21. They did so by ratifying their support for the Equality Act, which also has the backing of virtually all Democratic senators. There is only one Democratic Party senator who refused to support the LGBT bill: Joe Manchin from West Virginia.
The Equality Act will allow men who identify as women to use women's restrooms. It doesn’t end there. It also adds the terms "transgender status" and "sexual orientation" as protected classes under Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a regulation prohibiting discrimination in public places. National Review points out that the bill explicitly states that "(with respect to gender identity) an individual shall not be denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity."
The Equality Act replaces the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
The Equality Act will affect both religious and public schools by replacing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This law, sponsored by then-Congressman Chuck Schumer, was used in religious liberty cases and ensured the following:
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 . . . shall not provide a claim concerning, or a defense to a claim under, a covered title, or provide a basis for challenging the application or enforcement of a covered title.
The bill was passed by House Democrats in 2021. However, Manchin's vote against meant that it only had 50-50 support in the Senate which prevented the Equality Act from moving forward. Now, they have a better chance: they would only have to replace Krysten Sinema in Arizona and re-elect the incumbent senators in Montana, Ohio and Nevada to get the bill through.
