Congressman Cohen Urges Passage of Equality Act
In floor speech, calls it “a fight for fairness, justice and equality against injustice and bigotry”
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today went to the floor of the House to urge passage of The Equality Act (H.R. 5). The measure passed the House this afternoon on a vote of 224 to 206.
The landmark legislation ensures that LGBTQ+ Americans are guaranteed the full protections of federal civil rights law by extending anti-discrimination protections not just in the workplace, but in every place – in employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations.
In his remarks, Congressman Cohen said:
"Thank you, Madam. Speaker, I stand in support of this legislation. I've stood and supported this right for over 25 years. When I was a Tennessee state Senator, I was the only member of the state Senate to vote against a constitutional ban on gay marriage…This a continuing battle that my friend Julian Bond said was a fight for fairness, justice, and equality against injustice and bigotry. We need to pass this bill and continue our move to a more perfect union."
See those remarks here.