WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-led House is poised to pass a bill that enshrines protections in the nation’s labor and civil rights laws for LGBTQ people, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate. The Equality Act amends existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identification as protected characteristics. Supporters say the law would ensure that every person is treated equally under the law. But some religious groups and social conservatives worry that the bill would force people to take actions that contradict their religious beliefs. Meanwhile, hundreds of the nation’s leading corporations have endorsed the measure.
Photo: FILE – In this Oct. 8, 2019 file photo, protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington where the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the first case of LGBT rights since the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
