Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick broke with many Republican colleagues Thursday to vote for the Equality Act.
The Equality Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives 224-206, would amend the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBTQ people.
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Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Middletown Township; Congressman John Katko, a Republican from New York; and Congressman Tom Reed, a Republican from New York, voted with their Democratic peers on the legislation.
Fitzpatrick and seven other Republicans cast their votes for the legislation when it passed for the first time during the last session of Congress in 2019, according to CNN.
“Most Republicans say they oppose the measure due to its perceived infringement on religious freedom, not out of discriminatory sentiment toward LGBTQ people,” Politico reported.
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The act, if passed by the U.S. Senate and signed by President Joe Biden, would add protections from discrimination for LGTBQ people in employment, education, credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and public accommodations. While some jurisdictions have these protections, not all have them.
Biden has made passage of the Equality Act a priority for his first 100 days in office.
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