Washington, D.C. — Winnie Stachelberg, Center for American Progress Executive Vice President of External Affairs, issued the following statement after Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) announced his intention to introduce comprehensive lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, nondiscrimination legislation in the next Congress. Sen. Merkley announced his intentions during a keynote address at a CAP event that released a major report outlining the pervasive forms of discrimination that members of the LGBT community face.
This morning, Sen. Merkley definitively stated that the time is now for Congress to act and protect LGBT Americans in every facet of life. The Center for American Progress looks forward to continuing to work with Sen. Merkley—and others in the Senate and House—as he introduces a comprehensive nondiscrimination act and leads the effort in the U.S. Senate for full federal equality. As our report released today demonstrates, discrimination against LGBT people and their families happens far too frequently, and a federal response is necessary to address this problem.
Click here to view the video of Sen. Merkley’s announcement.
Click here to read CAP’s nondiscrimination report.
For more information, contact Tom Caiazza at [email protected] or 202.481.7141.