(News Channel 9) – Tennessee resident Taylor Swift urged Sen. Lamar Alexander, R- Tenn., to help pass the Equality Act in an Instagram post on Friday. The bill, designed to protect people who identify as LGBTQ from discrimination, recently passed the state House and is scheduled to be presented to the Tennessee Senate for a vote. The Equality Act would prohibit extend sex discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education,
federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system, according to Congress.gov. The Associated Press reported the legislation passed the Democratic-controlled House in May with the support of every Democrat and eight Republicans, but getting the act through the GOP-controlled Senate is expected to be more challenging. A senior official said Friday that the Trump Administration said Friday that it opposes discrimination of any kind, but said they do not support the current form of the bill because they believe it contains “poison pills” that threaten to “undermine parental and conscience rights.” READ MORE
