Center for American Progress

LGBTQI+ equality is central to health of our democracy
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LGBTQI+ equality is central to health of our democracy

Sharita Gruberg and Mark Bromley explain why the U.S. Senate must pass the Equality Act and outline why the full and inclusive participation of LGBTQI+ Americans strengthens our democracy.

Last week, world leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector gathered virtually for the Summit for Democracy to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle today’s greatest threats to democracy. In advance of the summit, the Council for Global Equality—a coalition of LGBTQI advocacy organizations of which the Center for American Progress is a proud member—in collaboration with F&M Global Barometers published report cards assessing the extent to which participating states have fulfilled their obligations to ensure LGBTQI+ people are full citizens and able to contribute to and benefit from democratic institutions. Unfortunately, the United States’ score on the human rights of LGBTQI+ people is in critical need of improvement. While we scored a 70 percent on basic human rights—a C- if our country were a school—we received failing grades in protecting LGBTQI+ Americans from violence and upholding the socioeconomic rights of LGBTQI+ Americans. We clearly need to catch up on our homework.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Washington Blade. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Sharita Gruberg

Former Vice President, LGBTQI+ Research and Communications Project

Mark Bromley

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