Post submitted by Jordan Dashow, former Federal Policy Manager

Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) reintroduced the Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act, which would amend the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to prohibit discrimination in the provision of credit based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Securing credit is critical to some of the most important undertakings in life, including buying a home, going to college or starting a small business. Credit decisions should not be based on personal characteristics, such as race and sex, that are unrelated to creditworthiness and our nation’s civil rights laws reflect that.

Currently, the ECOA currently prohibits discrimination in credit based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age. However, since there is no federal law that consistently protects LGBTQ people from credit discrimination, LGBTQ people can still be denied a mortgage, credit card, student loan, or other type of lending simply because of who they are.

The Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act would extend the basic protections afforded to other marginalized groups under ECOA to LGBTQ Americans. You can learn more about the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the protections it offers here.

HRC applauds Senator Murray and Representative Gottheimer for reintroducing this important legislation and will continue to work with Congress to ensure that LGBTQ people are treated fairly in all aspects of life.