Leading the Fight for Equality For All
Louise Slaughter has always fought to provide equal opportunity for All Americans.
LGBT Rights:
Louise is a strong supporter of equality. She believes same sex partners have a right to marry; she voted against the Defense Against Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 and also voted against proposed constitutional amendments in 2004 and 2006 that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. Louise has been a strong supporter of ENDA, which barred employers from discriminating against employees based on their sexual orientation. She also co-sponsored the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the bill that provided benefits to domestic partners of federal employees in 2007.
Women's Rights:
Louise has long been an outspoken champion of women's rights and has fought to eliminate gender-based discrimination in our society. From fighting to end the scourge of sexual assault in the military to expanding athletic opportunities for high school women through Title IX, to spearheading passage of the National Women’s Rights History Project Act, she is an unapologetic champion for equal treatment for all women, both in the United States and around the world. Just several weeks ago, Louise passed the Slaughter Amendment to assist service women and men in cases where they have experienced retaliation for reporting sexual harassment or assault.
Recognizing that the pay gap costs women an average of $434,000 over their career, Louise has worked hard to eliminate wage discrimination. She was an original co-sponsor of both the Lily Ledbetter Act and Paycheck Fairness Act as part of her effort to make it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages for men and women who perform substantially equal work.