Sagar Raghavan

Persistent gaps in legal protections, data visibility, and institutional support have allowed discrimination against LGBTQ+ people to manifest in mental health disparities, academic barriers, and economic instability, with the harshest effects falling on youth and those at intersecting marginalized identities. Positioned within the broader history of civil rights legislation, the Equality Act builds on decades of incomplete protections while provoking debate over its scope, implementation, and implications for privacy and religious liberty. By grounding its policy recommendations in empirical evidence and historical precedent, the analysis underscores the urgent need for comprehensive federal safeguards to reduce disparities and expand equitable access to public life.