WASHINGTON — Today, global tech trade association ITI applauded the U.S. House of Representatives on its passage of the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act and other key federal nondiscrimination laws to provide employment non-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“An individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity should not act as a barrier to their opportunities for employment,” said Jason Oxman, ITI President and CEO. “With today’s passage of the Equality Act, the U.S. House took a key step forward toward a federal standard protecting the more than 8.1 million LGBTQ+ employees and job-seekers in the U.S. from workplace discrimination. ITI is proud to support this important piece of legislation, and we urge the U.S. Senate to advance it quickly so that it can be signed into law without delay.”

In June 2020, ITI commended the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision protecting LGBTQ+ employees in the federal workplace from discrimination. According to UCLA’s Williams Institute, there are approximately 8.1 million LGBTQ+ U.S. workers, 3.9 million of whom live in states without statutes prohibiting LGBTQ+ workplace discrimination.

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