Member News: Congress Should Pass the Equality Act

The Equality Act was reintroduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives, and yesterday it was introduced in the U.S. Senate. This bill would enact federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, including preventing discrimination in housing, education, and other public services. Amazon was among the first to join a coalition of major companies supporting the Equality Act when it was introduced in the U.S. Congress in 2015. That year, we were honored to host the Human Rights Campaign, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene at our Amazon headquarters to discuss the importance of this bill.

Amazon believes that diverse and inclusive teams have a positive impact on our products and services, and they help us better serve customers, selling partners, content creators, employees, and community stakeholders from every background. These teams push us to think bigger and differently about our innovations and the community we build at work. We're pleased to see that our LGBTQ+ employee resource group, glamazon, has grown to more than 105 chapters throughout the world.

We also strongly believe that the rights of LGBTQ+ people must be protected. We were early and strong supporters of marriage equality and will continue to advocate for protections and equal rights for transgender people. We've received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for multiple years, which acknowledges Amazon for its workforce protections, inclusive benefits, supportive and inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility activities. We have actively worked to oppose state laws that discriminate or encourage discrimination.

Amazon has a long commitment to equality and will continue to provide an inclusive workplace for all our employees. These are enduring values for us. But now is the time for federal law to protect LGBTQ+ Americans across the country. We encourage Congress to quickly pass the Equality Act.