LGBTQIA+ Issues

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Representative Casten is dedicated to protecting the rights of all Americans. He is committed to his long-held belief that LGBTQIA+ rights are human rights and he stands firmly against any effort that would deny any citizen the full set of rights and opportunities.

Believing that too many gaps exist in our civil rights laws, leaving LGBTQIA+ Americans without the full protections that other citizens enjoy, Rep. Casten seeks to do all that he can in office to eliminate those gaps. He has co-sponsored of the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity

Rep. Casten is a proud member of the Congressional LGBTQIA+ Equality Caucus, committed to furthering LGBTQIA+ equality, working tirelessly this Congress to move numerous bills impacting the LGBTQIA+ community and to fight back against attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2021, Rep. Casten co-sponsored the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, which was passed into law as part of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act provides for grants to improve data collection of hate crimes -- including hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity -- and for grants for states to create hotlines to assist victims of hate crimes, among other provisions.

In 2022, Rep. Casten secured $3,000,000 in funding for a local non-profit to address the increased mental health and affordable housing needs of LGBTQIA+ youth in Chicagoland.

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