The Equality Act, a piece of legislation prohibitting workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, was recently passed by the House of Representatives.
To gather support for the bill as it's considered by the Senate, Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, shared the story of one uncomfortable interaction he had while in the workplace.
Buttigieg shared a memory from work where his boss found out about his sexuality in the breakroom before marching out and confronting him with a slur.
According to Buttigieg, it was fortunate that, despite his language, his boss chose not to fire him on the spot. At that time, it would have been perfectly legal for the supervisor to fire him simply because he was gay.
Many Twitter users, picking up on Buttigieg's message, shared their own memories of workplace discrimination.
Though the Supreme Court ruling Bostock v. Clayton County has protected LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation since last year, the Equality Act would codify that decision into law.
Many people online hoped that LGBTQ+ communities would receive the protections they deserve.
Discrimination on the basis of sexuality is never acceptable.
The Equality Act's future in the Senate, where Democrats hold an extremely narrow 51-50 majority (with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote), remains uncertain.
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