{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/merkley-to-lead-push-for-federal-lgbt-protection", "Merkley to lead push for federal LGBT protection", "2014-12-26", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Merkley to lead push for federal LGBT protection \r\n\r\n     Plans to introduce anti-discrimination legislation in new Congress \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFriday, December 26, 2014\r\n\r\n\t\n\r\n\r\n\r\n  \r\n    By:\u00a0\r\n    Andrew Clevenger\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWASHINGTON \u2014 Earlier this month, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced his intention to introduce sweeping anti-discrimination legislation that would provide federal protections for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender individuals.\r\nThe bill, which Merkley plans to introduce sometime after the 114th Congress is sworn in Jan. 6, will be designed to protect members of the LGBT community from unequal treatment in such areas as employment, housing and access to public accommodations.\r\nAt an event at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C., Merkley said most Americans would be shocked to realize how much discrimination is still legal in various states across the country.\r\n\u201cIn dozens of states across the country, LGBT Americans lack the basic nondiscrimination protections that so many of us take for granted,\u201d said Merkley at the event. \u201cIn North Carolina today, a gay man could be fired from his job just for being gay. In Michigan, a young couple could be denied the chance to buy their first home just because they\u2019re both women. In Pennsylvania, a transgender woman could be denied service and kicked out of a restaurant just for being who she is. And all of this would be perfectly legal.\u201d\r\nMerkley supported legislation during the term of Congress that just ended that would have made it illegal to fire someone based on sexual orientation, but it was not enacted into law. The new legislation aims to put broader protections into place for LGBT individuals.\r\nJann Carson, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, said the ACLU strongly supports bringing a holistic approach to adding protections under the law for LGBT individuals.\r\n\u201cI think most Americans think it is wrong to discriminate against someone for who they are,\u201d she said.\r\nWhile prospects for Merkley\u2019s legislation may face an uphill climb in the next Congress when Republicans control both chambers, just the debate around it will keep the issue of equality under discussion, she said.\r\n\u201cThe need is there, so we shouldn\u2019t shy away from trying to advance civil rights for (LGBT) people just because it\u2019s a tougher climate, or because we might have to be more convincing,\u201d she said.\r\nWhile public opinion seems to have coalesced around acceptance of same-sex marriage, and the U.S. Supreme Court has hinted it will allow rulings in favor of same-sex marriage to stand, progress shouldn\u2019t end there, she said.\r\n\u201cWhat we\u2019re saying is: We want to reach the age where who you love doesn\u2019t become a lawful disqualifier for access to all of these other essentials in being able to live in America, to be able to get a job, to have housing,\u201d she said.\r\nPortland attorney Kevin Clonts, who serves as the co-chairman of OGALLA: The LGBT Bar Association of Oregon, said the organization supports extending the protections that already exist in Oregon to include the entire country.\r\nFederal law bans discrimination based on a person\u2019s gender, religion, national origin, race and ethnicity, he said.\r\n\u201cThose are national protections that have been around for many years, and it doesn\u2019t make any sense to exclude one minority,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why a line would be drawn to exclude national protections for LGBT people as is currently the case.\u201d\r\nEric Overby, the father of a transgender daughter, serves as the coordinator for the East County chapter of PFLAG Portland, a group built around the support of family and friends for the LGBT community. Merkley\u2019s proposed legislation is very necessary, he said.\r\nHe has seen firsthand how his daughter, who is still in transition changing her gender, has come home from interviews knowing she didn\u2019t get the job because she went dressed as a woman.\r\n\u201cShe wound up having to dress androgynously in order to get a second interview or even a job offer,\u201d said Overby, a former Navy recruiter.\r\nThe LGBT community shouldn\u2019t rest on its laurels after its victories in legalizing same-sex marriage in various states, he said.\r\n\u201cWe tend to think, especially on the national spectrum, that we are all protected, but in reality we\u2019re not. States have their own laws,\u201d he said. The issue of complete protections for LGBT individuals \u201cneeds to come to a larger stage, and I\u2019m proud that Senator Merkley is leading it in that direction.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n           \r\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/merkley-to-lead-push-for-federal-lgbt-protection"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0071258768439293, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}