Foreword
The 1964 Civil Rights Act stated that all persons “shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation … without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin.” In 1974, Representative Bella Abzug (NY-D) introduced legislation to prohibit, under that Act, discrimination on account of sex, marital status, or sexual orientation. The Equality Act, as it was called, defined “sexual orientation” to mean “choice of sexual partner according to gender.” The measure was the first proposed national legislation to end…
