Many LGBTQ+ Americans still lack basic legal protections in far too many states. LGBTQ+ individuals are excluded from federal civil rights protections, which leaves millions of people subject to discrimination, if they live in a state that does not grant equal rights and protections. But the need for inclusion in federal law is clear as nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ Americans report that they have experienced some form of discrimination.    

Adam is an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan Equality Act, which would provide comprehensive, federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service. The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights law—including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Jury Selection and Services Act - to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. The House passed this legislation for the second time in 2021, and Adam will continue to push this bill forward until it finally crosses the finish line.  

Adam believes in supporting initiatives to increase access to quality health care services for the LGBTQ+ community. He introduced the PrEP Access and Coverage Act to expand access to and insurance coverage of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, the proven HIV prevention drug. The bill would create a grant program to fund uninsured patients’ access to this critical medication and would cover services related to treatment as Adam believes that no one should contract HIV simply because they cannot afford preventative medicine.   

In the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill, Adam secured $775,000 for the Los Angeles LGBT Center to support the construction of a Federally Qualified Health Center, which would provide expanded testing, treatment, and prevention services to address HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in Los Angeles County. He will continue to advocate for this funding.  

Adam also introduced a resolution to highlight the urgent need for nondiscriminatory blood and blood product donation policies in the United States. The resolution underscores that policies governing blood and blood product donation should be grounded in science and based on individual risk factors that do not unfairly single out any group of individuals, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals. There is a large contingent of healthy people who are ready, willing, and able to donate blood and plasma, but antiquated regulations grounded in bigotry prevent them from doing so. In 2020, the FDA took an important first step towards eliminating the unscientific policy that blocks many gay and bisexual men from donating blood, and Adam believes it’s time to permanently transition to a system that does not discriminate.  

Adam is a co-sponsor of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which would provide equal treatment for LGBTQ+ couples who hope to adopt or foster a child. In some states, LGBTQ+ individuals and couples are banned from serving as adoptive or foster parents, and public child welfare agencies discriminate against qualified adoptive LGBTQ+ families. No child should be denied access to a safe and healthy home and no family should be banned from providing a loving home to a child in need based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.