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The final vote was 224-206. Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the bill. Representatives John Katko, Tom Reed, and Brian Fitzpatrick voted with Democrats on this vote, and did so when the law was also passed in the House in 2019. When the bill was passed by the House in 2019, eight Republicans joined Democrats to vote for the legislation.
Advocates of the LGTBQ community argue that the legislation will help protect people in states where it is legal to discriminate against people and add that the law is long overdue.
“We are truly delighted to have President Biden’s incredible support and commitment to making the equality law the law of the land,” said Representative David Cicillin, Co-Sponsor of Equality Law, on Thursday. . “Every American deserves respect and dignity and it is important that the equality law becomes law because it will ensure once and for all that LGBTQ Americans can live without discrimination.”
But critics of the legislation say it raises serious concerns for religious communities as well as women’s sports. Republicans cite a provision in the law according to which a person cannot be denied access to toilets, changing rooms or changing rooms because of their gender identity.
Opponents say it would force women and girls to share private spaces with men. Critics also say the bill could help men participate in women’s sports if they identify as women.
Transgender athletes have fought in recent years against legislation to limit their participation because of their gender identity. Many argue that such policies violate Title IX, the federal anti-discrimination law in education known to have leveled women’s chances in sport.
Republican Andy Biggs, who is the chairman of the most conservative caucus in the House, denounced the legislation, saying it would be a “devastating attack on humanity.”
“While he attacks religious freedom, freedom of speech and freedom of association, all important rights recognized in the First Amendment, he doesn’t stop there, he also denies the biological facts that men and women women are both sexes, ”he said Thursday. . “The bill recklessly requires girls’ and women’s bathrooms, lockers, gyms, or any other place where a woman might seek privacy, to cede that privacy to biological men. Women’s sports are already infiltrated.
Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy said the equality law was only part of an “attack on freedom” by the Biden administration.
“I mean, if you look at Biden’s cabinet appointments, nuns lawsuits and the like, it really does seem like an attack on religious freedom, women’s sports as well and others,” he said. he said at his weekly press conference. “If you are a member of Congress, I am interested to know how far they have gone and how far they want to go.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer addressed some of the “despicable comments made by a few Republicans about trans people” without naming them on Thursday.
“Their attacks on trans people in the transgender community are just nasty. Nasty,” the New York Democrat said at a press conference ahead of the Houses passing the equality law. “And show a complete lack of understanding, a complete lack of empathy. They don’t represent our views and they don’t represent the views of a majority of Americans. Their despicable comments only boil my mind. blood with anger. If I didn’t “You have a mask you could see my teeth grinding.”
“It breaks my heart that is needed,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said of the legislation during her weekly press conference Thursday morning. “But the point is, and in fact, we had a sad event right here this morning demonstrating the need for us to have respect. Not even just respect, but to be proud, to be proud of our LGBTQ community.”
CNN’s Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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