Davis / 4 Senator Hussain

S.W._______

To prevent discrimination against the lgbtq+ community and protect them from hate crimes, as
well as ensure they have equal rights
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Equality Act of 2016.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) 72 percent of the victims of hate violence homicides in 2013 were transgender women,

and transgender women are 1.8 times more likely to experience sexual violence than
cisgender women.
2) Studies have shown that suicidal ideation is widely reported among transgender people.
3) Trans people face higher rates of HIV, & more discrimination & harassment when seeking
health care.
4)One-fifth of people who identify as transgender have reported being homeless at some
point in their lives.
5) Transgender people face high rates of physical and emotional bias and violence.
6) LGBTQ Americans can get legally married but still be at risk of being denied services for
who they are.
7) Discrimination has been associated with high rates of psychiatric disorders,1 substance
abuse,2, 3 and suicide.
8) Intimate partner violence has been found to be a prominent issue for transgender people.
9) Gay panic and transgender panic defenses have been asserted by defendants in
criminal trials, where defendants have argued that their violent behavior was a rational
response to discovering that the victim was LGBT.
10) In southern states, hate crime legislation is nonexistent or doesnt protect trans people.
11) lawmakers across the nation have introduced and passed harmful anti-transgender
legislation.
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The Equality Act of 2016 will repeal all hateful and harmful legislation aimed towards legalizing
discrimination against transgender people and others in the LGBT community. As well as prevent
bills such as The Transgender Discrimination Bill (HB 583) from passing. HB 583 seeks to
criminalize transgender people by making it illegal for them to enter sex-segregated facilities such as
bathrooms, locker rooms, or dressing rooms. HB 583 would also compel businesses to discriminate
against their own employees and customers, and invalidate nondiscrimination policies that already
exist on the local level. This is why The Equality Act is essential; it would prevent harmful
discrimination and protect LGBT persons under the law in every state. It would also ensure that they
have equal access to health care, being that social stigmatization can lead to mental illness as well as
negative physical effects.
B) The Equality Act will be enforced by punishing those who commit hate crimes by law. Any person
who is found guilty of violating the law by committing a hate crime or illegal discrimination will be
punished accordingly by the court. Establishments who fail to serve somebody based on their sexual
orientation/gender expression will be evaluated in court and fined. The Equality Act will derive its

47 funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

C) The bill will aim to be enacted upon December 9, 2016.