On April 29, 2025, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) teamed up with Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and New Jersey’s U.S. Senator Cory Booker for the bicameral reintroduction of the Equality Act in an effort to push back against escalated attacks from the Trump Administration, MAGA Republicans, and state legislatures on the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ Americans nationwide.

In states across the country, over 850 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed so far this year—the most in U.S. history. The Equality Act is historic, comprehensive legislation to enshrine civil rights protections for our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors in federal law.

The Equality Act amends landmark federal anti-discrimination laws to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity to longstanding bans on discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, federal funding, and more. It would also add protections against sex discrimination in parts of anti-discrimination laws where these protections had not been included previously, such as public accommodations and federal funding.

Despite major advances in equality for LGBTQ+ Americans in recent years, including codifying federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, the majority of states still do not have explicit LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protection laws. The Equality Act would finally enshrine protections into federal law under all areas of potential discrimination, protecting the rights and freedoms of all LGBTQ+ Americans for generations to come.

The Equality Act is supported by 47 U.S. Senators and 214 U.S. Representatives. A full list of the 600+ organizations endorsing the Equality Act can be found by clicking here.