John Oliver challenges 2016 presidential candidates to support LGBT civil rights

The Equality Act would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, credit, and public accommodations among other areas.

Oliver showed clips of interviews with same-sex couples that have lost their jobs or were refused service at a restaurant or even a pediatrician’s office.

In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage earlier this summer, Oliver devoted his main story to discrimination against LGBT people. “This bill represents the bare minimum of not being discriminated against, and this should be what represents the threshold of true gay tolerance”. Only four got back to him: Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, and Lincoln Chafee – all eager to get as much attention as possible from young people before the Democratic primary – all said they would; Rand Paul said, “We’ll pass. Thanks”. “It must be unusual to live in a state where progress actually moves backwards”, said Oliver.

Before John Oliver and the “Last Week Tonight” team headed off on a two-week hiatus Sunday night (the HBO news-satire program returns with new episodes September 13), they left us with some food for thought.

Oliver concluded by saying that he and his staff had reached out the campaigns of every current Presidential candidate and asked them if they would support a law or laws that outlaws discrimination against LGBT people.

Looking to the future, Oliver argued that LGBT civil rights should be taken out of states’ hands and made into federal law to stop this kind of discrimination once and for all. “Just look at Arkansas right now”. “It would be like if Apple suddenly introduced the iPhone 7 and it was a flip phone”. And, as always, it is witheringly amusing.