The analysis here is, honestly, optimistic. Even though a significant majority of Americans overall favor the Equality Act — extending federal civil rights protection for employment, housing, and public business access to the LGBT populace — a majority of Republican voters don’t. And so, presumably, the GOP in the Senate will block it, en masse or simply by Mitch McConnell issuing a pocket veto by not bringing it to the floor.
The only glimmer of hope is the Senate race in 2020 is as bad for the GOP as it was in 2018 for the Dems. There are a number of GOP Senators running in “purple” states (including my own Cory Gardner) that might find their race all the more difficult should they be too hardline against this bill, whatever their personal preferences.
Will that be enough? We will see. Especially since the opposition is making it clear and loud their argument is that they have a religious right to discriminate against anyone they want — in employment, in housing, in business services — and so adding another “protected class,” especially one they’re willing to publicly desire to discriminate against, is a profound wrong.
As I said, we will see.
Do you want to know more? Legislation banning LGBTQ discrimination could split the Republican Party – The Washington Post