Chris Pappas Demands Equality For All: Dems Are Not ‘Backing Down From The Fight’

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During Tuesday's press briefing, Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) discussed the need to pass the Equality Act.

Transcript

00:00So please help me welcome a colleague who's working every day to make that dream a reality.

00:09The gentleman from New Hampshire, the co-chair of the Equality Caucus, Congressman Chris Pappas.

00:17Well, thank you so much to our whip, the amazing Catherine Clark.

00:21I want to thank the other leaders who are with me today.

00:23Chair Takano of the Equality Caucus, Senator Merkley, thank you for bringing this bill to the floor once again.

00:30And to Speaker Emerita Pelosi, thank you for helping to usher the Equality Act twice through the House of Representatives.

00:37We're ultimately going to get this done.

00:39It's a matter of when and not if we are committed to this fight, and so thank you for your persistence.

00:44I also want to thank Congresswoman McBride, who is an inspiration to all of us.

00:48We are so happy to have her joining our Equality Caucus in Congress.

00:52So look, full equality under the law, nothing less and nothing more.

00:56That's what the Equality Act is going to deliver.

00:59That's what it means to LGBTQ plus Americans who have not enjoyed these protections under the law.

01:04And while we know this is an uphill battle for sure, there can be no backing down from this fight.

01:10No backing down from the fight that's about freedoms and protections and the dignity that all Americans deserve.

01:16So I come from New Hampshire.

01:17We put live free or die on our license plates because we take freedom incredibly seriously there.

01:23We were the first state to pass marriage equality legislatively, where a governor signed it into law.

01:28And in 2018, Democrats and Republicans came together to add transgender granted staters to our state's nondiscrimination statutes.

01:36So I know the people I represent want their government.

01:39They don't want their government telling people how to live their lives.

01:42They fundamentally want everyone to be equal before the law and to have the same rights and responsibilities.

01:48Passing the Equality Act is consistent with the basic promise of America.

01:52And it has never been more urgent that we confront the politically toxic attacks on our community and that we move forward.

01:59I think of the LGBTQ plus community members that we all talk to.

02:02People who are beyond afraid about the direction of our nation.

02:06Think about the high school student who reached out to our office.

02:08He couldn't attend class for a week after the last election, despite having supportive family and friends,

02:15because he felt to his core that there wasn't a place for him in the United States of America.

02:19I think about the trans constituent who told me the other day that they've never felt less safe in their community,

02:25are always looking over their shoulder, and are taking new precautions when they just go about their day-to-day business.

02:30No one should question whether or not they have a future in the United States or can live authentically.

02:35No one should feel unsafe in their community.

02:37No one should be a second-class citizen in the United States of America in the year 2025.

02:42So the Equality Act is for them.

02:44It's for all of us.

02:46Because not only will it establish the legal protections that are overdue,

02:49but it will send a powerful and unmistakable message about who we are as Americans

02:54and the kind of future that we can secure together.

02:57You know, just the act of introducing this bill again,

03:00that's enough to give people hope at a time where it is in short supply.

03:04But we're not going to stop there.

03:05We're going to keep fighting.

03:07We're going to keep showing up month after month, year after year,

03:10until this bill is finally the law of the land.

03:13You know, Jefferson referred to equality as a self-evident truth,

03:16meaning it didn't need really any further explanation or defense.

03:20And today, Americans overwhelmingly believe the same.

03:23They embrace the Equality Act.

03:24Seven out of ten Americans support passing this law.

03:28So it's time leaders in Washington caught up to how people are living their lives

03:31and how people feel about the enduring promise of America's founding

03:35in extending the same rights and protections to the LGBTQ plus community.

03:40We are going to get this done, whether it is in the next few weeks, few months, or a few years.

03:44We all have to stay committed to this fight.

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