Life

House speaker Nancy Pelosi vows to ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination

By Daniel Megarry

4th January 2019

Nancy Pelosi has vowed to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people.

After being re-elected as speaker of the House of Representatives on 3 January, a position she previously held from 2007 to 2011, Democrat Pelosi reaffirmed her long-time support for the queer community.

In her first speech as speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi announced that she will seek to pass the Equality Act – which would outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ people – in the upcoming Congress.

Related: Nancy Pelosi rips into Trump at GLAAD Gala, and it’s a must watch

“We will make America fairer by passing the Equality Act to end discrimination against the LGBTQ community,” she said.

Elsewhere in her speech, Pelosi voiced her support for gun background check legislation and the DREAM Act, which grants legal status to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children and went to school there.

Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign, praised Pelosi for using her platform to advocate for equality.

“Now is the time to move equality forward by advancing the Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans are able to go to go to work, raise their families, and live their lives free from discrimination,” he said.

“Far too many LGBTQ people face unfair and unjust discrimination each and every day with only a patchwork of protections across the country.

“We are thankful for Speaker Pelosi reaffirming her commitment to advance this critically important legislation and seize this historic moment to make full federal LGBTQ equality a reality.”

The bill is expected to pass through the House of Representatives, which has held a Democratic majority since the November 2018 mid-term elections, but may face challenges in the Republican-dominated Senate.

Pelosi has been a supporter of the LGBTQ community throughout her career, and even made an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3 last year.