According to the text of the legislation, its purpose is “ o prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes”. The Equality Act would essentially amend the Civil Rights Act to include queer folx. While my thoughts are still developing, I feel compelled to write about them now, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the Equality Act today, March 17, 2021. It’s taken me some time to sit with how I’m feeling about this and to consider what other math teachers might need to know or hear in relation to the pending legislation. It should not be this hard to get politicians to vote in favor of queer folx’s basic human rights.

To me, these all felt like another indication that our Republican officials are more concerned with children’s sports, the right to use religion as a tool for hate-based discrimination, and instilling a fear of LGBTQ+ people and their “lifestyle” (insert eye roll) in their constituents, than with recognizing queer folx’s basic humanity and rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” So, while I’m happy the House has passed the Equality Act and sent it to the Senate for consideration, I’m also incredibly tired. Ralph Norman of North Carolina had the audacity to propose a moment of silence during the session to honor the recent passing of Rush Limbaugh…the same Rush Limbaugh whose radio show of the 80s and 90s ran an “AIDS Update” in which he would celebrate the deaths of queer people who had died of AIDS. As if those objections weren’t upsetting enough, Rep. During the hearing, many old troupes were used in defending Republican opposition to the bill, which opponents consistently referred to as the “Inequality Act.” Such objections included the weakening/elimination of religious liberties and parental rights, the threat to women rights, a concern for “fairness” in girls sports, and the threat of “a universal right to abortion.” I could provide counter arguments for each of these, but that’s not the point of this post, so I’ll leave that for some other time. The vote was incredibly disheartening, but also sadly not surprising. Only 3 Republicans indicated that my queer siblings and I deserve the basic liberties and protections afforded to non-LGBTQ+ Americans. Only 3 Republican representatives joined the Democratic majority (there are 221 Democrats in the House) and voted in support of the bill. And the result? The bill passed by a margin of 18 votes, with 206 Republicans deciding that I (and people like me) do not deserve the same rights/protections/freedoms as everyone else. They spent less than an hour considering our humanity. They spent less than an hour either defending or criticizing our basic human rights. They spent less than an hour deciding whether people like me and my LGBTQ+ peers should be able to go to a restaurant, hospital, or bathroom anywhere in the US without the fear of being denied service or entry. In all, House Representatives spent less than an hour debating the bill. On February 25 of this year, I watched as the House of Representatives heard arguments and voted on the Equality Act.

Queer folx