Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, voted against expanding legal safeguards for LGBTQ people, including protections in the nation’s labor and civil rights laws.
In a 224-206 vote on Thursday, the Democratic-led House passed a bill that would amend existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identification as protected characteristics, The Associated Press reported. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas.
Three Republicans joining Democrats in voting for the bill, called the Equality Act.
Supporters say the law before the House on Thursday is long overdue and would ensure that every person is treated equally under the law, according to wire reports.
Republicans broadly opposed the legislation. They echoed concerns from religious groups and social conservatives who worry the bill would force people to take actions that contradict their religious beliefs, according to the AP.
The House passed the Equality Act in the last Congress with unanimous Democratic support and the backing of eight Republicans, but Donald Trump’s White House opposed the measure and it was not considered in the Senate, where 60 votes will be needed to overcome procedural hurdles, according to wire reports. Democrats are trying to revive it now that they have control of Congress and the White House, but passage still appears unlikely in the evenly divided Senate.
Pence also voted against the bill during the previous Congress, federal records show.
The Supreme Court provided the LGBTQ community with a resounding victory last year in a 6-3 ruling that said the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applied to LGBTQ workers when it comes to barring discrimination on the basis of sex, according to the AP. Civil rights groups have encouraged Congress to follow up that decision and ensure that anti-bias protections addressing such areas as housing, public accommodations and public services are applied in all 50 states.
The city of Columbus added human rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents as part of its human rights ordinances in 2015.
