6 | MAY 13 • 2021 

1942 - 2021

Covering and Connecting 
Jewish Detroit Every Week

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PURELY COMMENTARY

a public letter that calls on 
elected leaders to support 
comprehensive nondiscrimi-
nation protections for LGBTQ 
Americans.
The path toward LGBTQ 
equality is long, but a brighter 
and more equitable future is 
within reach. Today, Democrats 
and Republicans have intro-
duced their versions of non-
discrimination protections 
that would update the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly 
ban LGBTQ discrimination in 
housing, employment, public 
education, federal funding 
and other areas of American 
life. In February, the House 
of Representatives passed the 
Equality Act for the second 
time, with bipartisan support. 
Most recently, the Senate 
Judiciary Committee held a 
historic first hearing on it.
While senators sparred over 
the details of the bill at the 
hearing, there’s a consensus 
among senators that LGBTQ 

discrimination is a real prob-
lem, and a bipartisan solution 
is needed to address this 
injustice. We cannot and must 
not lose sight of that common 
ground. As diverse of a nation 
as we are, granted we won’t 
agree on everything, but we all 
can agree that inaction is not 
an option.

SUPPORT GROWS
Support across the country for 
a federal nondiscrimination 
law is at an all-time high. A 
recent Public Religion Research 
Institute survey shows that 
76% of Americans favor laws 
that would protect LGBTQ 
Americans from discrimina-
tion, up from 72% in 2019. 
Support for LGBTQ protec-
tions transcends party lines, 
with 62% of Republicans, 79% 
of Independents and 85% of 
Democrats favoring such laws. 
As we celebrate Abzug’s 
extraordinary life as a fierce 
and early defender of LGBTQ 

equality, her life’s work offers 
important lessons for con-
temporary generations of 
elected officials, especially for 
Senate Majority Leader Chuck 
Schumer, the first Jewish law-
maker to hold the title. The 
road to justice is not always 
easy. But if we can learn any-
thing from Abzug, it is to be 
motivated by what the Torah 
demands, in teaching “Justice, 
justice you shall pursue,
” and in 
so doing continue her mission 

to march forward on this path.
We have a real opportunity 
to finish the job Abzug started 
nearly 50 years ago and secure 
comprehensive nondiscrimi-
nation protections for LGBTQ 
people across the land. Sen. 
Schumer has a historic oppor-
tunity to bring together the 
bipartisan support needed to 
deliver equality for all LGBTQ 
Americans.
Let us value bipartisanship. 
Let’s focus on the values that 
we all have in common in 
order to come to a solution 
combating the discrimination 
and marginalization of LGBTQ 
Americans.
Thriving free from discrim-
ination isn’t just a Democratic 
or Republican ideal — it’s an 
American value, focused on 
freedom and opportunity for 
all. 

Rabbi Michael L. Moskowitz is spiritual 

leader at Temple Shir Shalom in West 

Bloomfield.

WIKIPEDIA

Bella 
Abzug

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