text:  The other piece of legislation these activists want, the Equality Act, would rewrite even more of our existing laws. According to the activist group HRC, quote, the Equality Act would amend existing civil rights laws, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Jury Selection and Services Act, and several laws regarding employment with the federal government to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.