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LGBTQ+ Equality
No one should face discrimination based on who they are. Throughout his career, Ed has actively fought for marriage equality and to end discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. An original co-sponsor of the Equality Act, which would extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ people, Senator Markey has worked throughout his career to guarantee that all members of the LGBTQ+ community are not only protected, but can also freely exercise their rights that they are entitled to under the Constitution.
During his time in the House of Representatives, Ed led the way for marriage equality as one of only 67 representatives to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage for federal purposes as the union between one man and one woman and allowed states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages granted by other states. For the next two decades, Ed fought to repeal the act.
Then-Representative Markey also opposed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and voted in favor of successful legislation to repeal the ban on openly gay service members. And in July 2017, Ed came forward and denounced President Trump’s transgender military ban.
Following the mass shooting at PULSE nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016, Ed joined a bipartisan effort to end discriminatory blood donation policies.
Ed knows that our courtrooms should be a place of justice, not hate. That is why he co-authored the Gay and Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act, to end the use of so-called “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses in federal court. Too many lives have been taken without justice, and we cannot continue to blame victims for the violence committed against them.
In 2019, Ed introduced the GLOBE Act, which establishes a framework for the United States to promote LGBTQ+ rights around the globe. Despite President Trump’s efforts to neglect the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, Ed knows that we must continue to advocate for the rights of every person.
Ed is one of original 19 cosponsors of the BE HEARD in the Workplace Act, the most comprehensive anti-discrimination and anti-harassment legislation ever introduced. It would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit the discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, or a sex stereotype.
In the next six years, Ed will continue to fight for the LGBTQ+ community and ensure equal rights and protections for every person.
If you wish to make an offline donation, please mail a check to:
The Markey Committee
PO Box 120029
Boston, MA 02112
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