Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Quoted by The Hill on Passage of LGBTQ+ Nondiscrimination Protections

For its article “Former GOP members of Congress urge lawmakers to pass federal LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination legislation,” The Hill quoted Akin Gump senior advisor and former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

The article reports that 11 former GOP members of Congress, including Ros-Lehtinen, today called for the immediate passage of federal LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections in a letter sent to the leadership of the House and Senate. The letter, writes The Hill, is in response to a string of state bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights.

Said Ros-Lehtinen, “There’s never been a more urgent, more critical time for Congress to act,” noting that, absent federal legislation, LGBTQ+ Americans exist under an unfair patchwork of state-level protections that leave some unprotected. “That’s why you need federal bipartisan protections, like those that are guaranteed under the Equality Act,” she added.

Ros-Lehtinen acknowledged that it is difficult to get something to pass, but called it a great opportunity for Republicans to advocate for what she said was “really a conservative value: freedom for all. That’s a bedrock principle of the Republican party.”

Ros-Lehtinen said that the Republican party is much more accepting than a vocal minority would make it out to be and that she has a lot of faith in the GOP.