The Obama administration has announced that it is supporting the proposed Equality Act, which will ban discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said Tuesday the bill would protect religious freedom and provide equal rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, according to CBN.
"We look forward to working with Congress to ensure that the legislative process produces a result that balances both the bedrock principles of civil rights . . . with the religious liberty that we hold dear in this country," Earnest said.
According to the VOX, the Equality Act would expand the Civil Rights Act and protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace, housing, public accommodations, education and others.
The bill is facing tough opposition from Republicans who control both chambers of Congress.
The White House's support came on the same day President Barack Obama appeared on the cover of Out magazine, an LGBT publication.
In the magazine's cover article, Obama talked about Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who had refused to issue marriage licence to same-sex couples.
"I am a man of faith and believe deeply in religious freedom, but at the end of the day, nobody is above the rule of law — especially someone who voluntarily takes an oath to uphold that law. That's something we've got to respect," he said.
On the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last June that legalised same-sex marriage in the U.S., Obama said, "Well, I try not to guess how the Supreme Court is going to rule."
"But even before the decision came down, one thing was clear: There had been a remarkable attitude shift — in hearts and minds — across America. The ruling reflected that. It reflected our values as a nation founded on the principle that we are all created equal," he said.
"And, by the way, it was decades of our brothers and sisters fighting for recognition and equality — and too frequently risking their lives or facing rejection from family, friends, and co-workers — that got us to that moment. So I wasn't surprised by the Supreme Court's decision, but, like millions of Americans, I was proud and happy that it came down the way it did — and I was honoured to stand in the Rose Garden and reiterate for every American that we are strongest, that we are most free, when all of us are treated equally. I was proud to say that love is love," Obama said.
