Last week, Nareit joined the National Association of Manufacturers, Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, and more than 40 other associations in advocating passage of the Equality Act (HR 5), a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to extend its protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in both the public and private sectors.
The Equality Act would protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender in businesses, hospitals, and welfare services. On May 17, the Equality Act passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 236-173. Nareit had also signed an earlier coalition letter to the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services supporting the Equality Act.
(Contact: Victoria Rostow at vrostow@nareit.com)