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119-hr-1543119th CongressWALLET

EQUITY Act

Sponsored By: Representative Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would ban discrimination across the U.S. Armed Forces based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation. It would require that eligibility and assignments be decided only by general occupational standards and the needs of the specific military job.

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  • Service members who are LGBTQ+, women, or racial and ethnic minorities would gain explicit statutory protections against discrimination in hiring, assignment, promotion, and retention.
  • Applicants and commanders would be required to use only job-related, general occupational standards and the relevant military occupational specialty when evaluating eligibility. That limits disqualifications based on gender stereotypes or non-job-related traits.
  • The bill would define "gender identity", "sex", and "sex stereotype" to guide enforcement and complaints. Those definitions include intersex traits, pregnancy, and gender-related appearance and mannerisms.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Ban on discrimination in military service

This bill would bar the Department of Defense from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Recruiting and career decisions would have to rely only on general military standards and the specific job’s requirements. Gender identity and sex would be defined broadly, covering appearance, mannerisms, pregnancy, and intersex traits. If enacted, these protections would start at enactment.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]

WA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16]

    TX • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]

    AL • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4]

    NV • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]

    DC • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Rep. Sherrill, Mikie [D-NJ-11]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

  • Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33]

    TX • D

    Sponsored 2/24/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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