Madison Ferguson Madison Ferguson is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.

Equality is a central value that unites us as Americans, and is enshrined in our nation’s legal motto, “Equal justice under law.”

It is egregious, then, to misuse that term, to use it to divide us and further inequality. But that’s what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has done in naming her new proposal the “Equality Act.” Far from advancing equality, the bill would rob Americans of some of their most cherished liberties.

The Equality Act would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under federal civil rights law. But whereas the original Civil Rights Act of 1964 furthered equality by ensuring that African-Americans had equal access to public accommodations and material goods, the Equality Act would further penalize everyday Americans for their beliefs about marriage and biological sex.

Similar sexual orientation and gender identity laws at the state and local level have already been used in this way. Here are five groups who would be harmed if the Equality Act were to become law. Read more via Daily Signal