WILTON MANORS, FLA. (WSVN) - House minority leader Nancy Pelosi visited Wilton Manors to discuss issues of equality alongside members of South Florida’s congressional delegation, Friday.
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Ted Deutch were also there to talk about the Equality Act, which would guarantee federal protections for the LGBT community.
Pelosi, Wasserman Schultz and Deutch received a standing ovation as they walked in to greet the group.
The group also heard from people who said they had been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.
One man said he worked for a company for 25 years and was nearing retirement with full benefits when he was fired because of his sexual orientation. He talked about how he got sick and, because he lost his insurance, had to use his life’s savings to pay for it.
“In paying for those medical expenses, it cost me a lifetime of savings, it cost me my entire pension, it cost me two houses that were bought and paid for. In addition to that, I had to go ahead and elect to use early social security retirement, and that choice now is a choice that will reduce my benefits by 25 percent for the rest of my life.”
Pelosi, Wasserman Schultz and Deutch said if they’re able to get the Equality Act through, what happened to that man wouldn’t happen to anyone else.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.