Growing up as a gay Black woman meant growing up without seeing myself or people like me represented in many of the spaces I occupied. Decades later, we are still fighting to be received as our full selves. Congress must pass the Equality Act, which creates a federal standard to prohibit discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in housing, employment, government, healthcare, and more. More than one-third of LGBTQ Americans face discrimination, including more than 3 in 5 transgender Americans, and around 3 in 10 LGBTQ Americans faced difficulties just last year accessing necessary medical care, including more than half of transgender Americans. Every day this discrimination harms the mental and economic well-being of many in the LGBTQ community. Fighting for equality means ensuring the voices of LGBTQ Americans are represented in every policy conversation whether it’s inclusive education, fair housing policy, or non-discriminatory healthcare.