American Equality Bill

{{Uspolitics}}
The '''American Equality Bill''' (AEB) seeks to insert ''[[sexual orientation]]'' and ''[[gender identity]]'' as protected classes alongside [[race]], color, [[sex]], national origin and [[religion]] into all of the [[civil rights]] laws of the [[United States]], including:<ref name=draft>[http://www.actonprinciples.org/2010/06/11/introducing-the-american-equality-bill-for-community-self-empowerment-and-grassroots-leadership-our-time-has-come/ Text of draft]</ref>

* Equal employment opportunity
** Title VII of the [[Civil Rights Act]] of 1964
** Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
** Government Employee Rights Act of 1991
** Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
* Housing
** Fair Housing Act
* Public accommodation and facilities
** Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
** 42 U.S.C. §2000b
* Equal credit opportunity
** Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974
* Federally funded programs (excluding religious organizations)
** Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
* Education
** Elementary and Secondary Education Act
* Disability
** Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Originally drafted by [[LGBT]] attorney Karen Doering in 2010, the AEB purposefully does not address marriage equality, as it was believed that [[same-sex marriage]] can only be legalized by [[Supreme Court]] action (as in ''[[Perry v. Brown]]'') or on a state-by-state basis. The draft defines "sexual orientation" as "[[homosexuality]], [[heterosexuality]], or [[bisexuality]]," and defines "gender identity" as "the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, with or without regard to the individual’s designated sex at birth."<ref name=draft/>

It has been seen as a needed "repackaging" of federal LGBT equality strategy, which has historically been a "command and control," top-down beast coordinated by organizations like the [[Human Rights Campaign]]. The AEB has attempted to employ a more grassroots strategy, unifying all LGBT people for a common goal, though it does not see much possible progress in [[Congress]] for several years hence.<ref>[http://www.bilerico.com/2010/07/the_american_equality_bill_an_idea_whose_time_has.php ''The American Equality Bill: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?''], Dr. Jillian Weiss, Bilerico.</ref> No national organization is pushing for full federal equality; most are focused on an incremental, piecemeal approach.<ref name=facebook>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/AEBproject/ Facebook group]</ref> The problem with incrementalism is simply that it rarely works. For example, the [[Employment Non-Discrimination Act]] (ENDA) has been languishing in Congress for nearly 20 years, and has never made it past a hearing.<ref>{{wpa|Employment Non-Discrimination Act}}</ref>

In 2020, SCOTUS held in ''Bostock v. Clayton County'' that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already protects workers from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, as a result of its protections on the basis of sex. The proposed {{wpl|Equality Act (United States)|Equality Act}} is a more recent bill.

==References==
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[[Category:United States politics]]
[[Category:Identity politics]]
[[Category:LGBT rights]]

Categories: United States politics, Identity politics, LGBT rights