House passes 'Equality Act' amid heated fight over transgender policy

The House passed the Equality Act, a bill that would prohibit discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, despite sharp opposition from Republicans over provisions relating to transgender people participating in women's sports, hormone treatments for minors, and abortion.

The bill, passed 224-206, would expand on last year's Supreme Court ruling that the Civil Rights Act bans employment discrimination based on sexual or gender identity. A version of the Equality Act passed the House in the last Congress, but the Republican-controlled Senate never brought it up for a vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday promised to put the legislation up for a vote in his chamber now that Democrats narrowly control it, but he declined to say when, other than it would be "at exactly the right time."