On Wednesday, October 20 at 10 a.m. ET, small business leaders from across the country will join with congressional and advocacy leaders to host a virtual roundtable event to underscore the critical need for the Equality Act for strengthening small businesses — and to call on the U.S. Senate to take urgent action to pass the landmark legislation, which would modernize our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit protections for LGBTQ+ people, as well as improve protections for women, people of color, and people of all faiths.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) of the House Small Business Committee will kick off the virtual event, which will also include small business leaders from West Virginia, Florida, and Indiana, as well leaders from Open To All and Main Street Alliance.
The event is hosted by Freedom & Opportunity For All — a national campaign advocating for the urgent passage of the Equality Act and co-founded and led by 17 of the nation’s leading advocates for equality — and will feature small business leaders from across the country in conversation about the urgent need for the Equality Act. The discussion will be moderated by Calla Rongerude, Director of Open To All.
WHAT: Virtual roundtable to underscore critical need for Equality Act for strengthening businesses
WHEN: Wednesday, October 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET
WHO:U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS), House Small Business Committee
Calla Rongerude, Director, Open To All; Linda Bodie, CEO, Element Federal Credit Union (West Virginia); Hope Kennedy, CEO, North Tampa Bay Chamber (Florida); Bob Goodman, Owner, Robert Goodman Jewelers (Indiana)
WHERE: Zoom: RSVP for event + receive Zoom link HERE
ABOUT THE EQUALITY ACT
Currently, 29 states do not have laws that explicitly protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. Without the Equality Act, LGBTQ Americans remain vulnerable to being evicted from their homes, kicked out of a business that’s open to the public, denied health care, or denied government services in a majority of states simply because of who they are. The Equality Act would provide clear, consistent non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across critical areas, including housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service. The Equality Act also extends protections to millions of women — who aren’t covered by some existing federal anti-discrimination laws — to ensure they don’t have to live in fear of harassment or discrimination. In addition, it modernizes public accommodations law to provide increased protections to people of color and people of all faiths.
Freedom & Opportunity For All is a national campaign advocating for the urgent passage of the Equality Act — historic federal legislation that would modernize and improve our nation’s civil rights laws by including explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people, as well as women, people of color, and people of all faiths. The campaign — supported by hundreds of the nation’s top leaders in civil rights, faith, education, health care, and advocacy — is co-founded and led by 17 of the nation’s leading advocates for equality, including Center for American Progress; Equality Federation; Family Equality; Freedom for All Americans; GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders; GLSEN; Human Rights Campaign; Lambda Legal; National Black Justice Coalition; National Center for Lesbian Rights; National Center for Transgender Equality; National LGBTQ Task Force; National Women's Law Center; PFLAG National; SAGE; Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund; and The Trevor Project.