Resist you did, and you won, so what to do now?
Here’s the LGBT roadmap: Nancy Pelosi stated that if Democrats take the House, the Equality Act will be a priority. She, when the smoke clears, will most likely be the House speaker. The Democratic leader of the Senate is Chuck Schumer, and in an interview with PGN in 2016, he also stated that the Equality Act would be a priority. So now it’s time to hold them and the Human Rights Campaign to that promise, and there’s a pleasant surprise at the end of that road.
Here’s why: Remember that wedding-cake case when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the bakery and allowed the owner to discriminate against the gay couple on religious grounds? That ruling was based on the fact that religion, which the bakery based its case on, was a protected class. So are race, creed, national origin, age, sex and a few others. Note what is missing: the LGBT community. While you can get married, you have no rights for housing, employment or public accommodations in most of this country.
The Republicans have blocked you from protections and made you a second-class citizen.
Once passed in Congress, the Equality Act would go to the Senate again. That will be hard, because the Republicans gained seats in the Senate this week, but it is doable.
The timing could not be better, as in 2020, more Republicans will be defending their seats in the Senate, and some of those Republicans are in purple states. Oh, and here’s that surprise: chances are that the Senate vote will be close for the Equality Act, maybe 50-50, meaning that the deciding vote will be that of Vice President Mike Pence, who will seal Republicans on this issue, and LGBT equality will become a top issue in the 2020 presidential election.
Help our LGBT youth to have the weddings of their dreams with that wedding cake; help our seniors find a home to live in and help our teachers in private schools to keep their jobs.
It is that important.