\u201cSee the world on your terms.\u201d That was our motto when we launched our first print ad\u00a0for LGBTQIA\u00a0travelers\u00a0in 2001. Since that time, we\u2019ve featured\u00a0LGBTQIA travelers\u00a0in our advertising, marched to the Illinois state capital advocating\u00a0for\u00a0legislators\u00a0to\u00a0vote yes on marriage equality, and supported\u00a0non-profit\u00a0organizations that envision a world as we do: one\u00a0where all people can travel freely and\u00a0feel safe and accepted.<\/p>\n
And yet these actions\u00a0feel small in comparison to what it would mean for\u00a0LGBTQIA+ people to benefit from\u00a0clear, consistent\u00a0and explicit\u00a0protections that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity as set forth by the Equality Act.<\/p>\n
The Equality Act, passed by the House\u00a0of\u00a0Representatives yesterday and now awaiting\u00a0a\u00a0Senate\u00a0vote, would ensure LGBTQIA+ employees are hired, fired, and promoted based on their performance, not their gender identity, and provides protections in other vital areas such as housing, credit, and jury service.\u00a0And the Equality\u00a0Act\u00a0establishes a basic\u00a0principle\u00a0that we as a travel company currently\u00a0expect from our\u00a0employees, partners,\u00a0and\u00a0customers\u00a0in\u00a0barring\u00a0discrimination in public spaces, services, and federal funding.<\/p>\n
As part of Expedia Group, we are proud to join forces with\u00a0the 364 member companies of the Human Rights\u00a0Campaign\u2019s\u00a0Business Coalition for the Equality Act. As a coalition, we support the Equality Act and federal legislation establishing\u00a0the same\u00a0protections for LGBTQIA+ people as are provided to other protected groups under federal law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We encourage our elected representatives to make the world a more welcoming place and pass the Equality Act. If they do, our\u00a0journey\u00a0will not end. Rather, it\u00a0emboldens our purpose.\u00a0It\u2019s an acclamation to travel\u00a0freely, travel confidently and most importantly, travel as you are.<\/p>\n