Taylor Swift just took a powerful stand in the fight for LGBTQ equality

The Equality Act has a potent patron.

On Saturday, Taylor Swift posted an image of a letter to her 118 million follower Instagram account asking a veteran Tennessee lawmaker, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, to help pass the Equality Act. The bill, which passed through the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in May, outlaws discrimination against LGBTQ people in public places like schools, work, and housing.

The Republican-controlled Senate can now take up a vote. But there's no vote scheduled, and it's unknown if the Senate will decide to vote at all.

"I’ve decided to kick off Pride Month by writing a letter to one of my senators to explain how strongly I feel that the Equality Act should be passed," Swift commented. "I urge you to write to your senators too. I’ll be looking for your letters by searching the hashtag #lettertomysenator."

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Congress passed a similar law 55 years ago, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that prohibited discrimination in public facilities on the basis of one's sex, religion, color, and race -- but it doesn't explicitly cite sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Equality Act does.

"Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic," wrote Swift. "The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable."

A recent Harvard-led survey found that discrimination is alive and well in the U.S. Of nearly 500 LGBTQ adults surveyed, 20 percent said they were discriminated against when applying for a job, and 22 percent cited discrimination when applying to purchase a home or lease a rental.

The Trump administration has banned transgender people from serving in the military. In 2017, Trump tweeted that "After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military." The Supreme Court has allowed the controversial ban to remain while the legal fight plays out in lower courts.

In her letter to Senator Alexander, Swift appeals to the economic costs of transgender discrimination, as a slew of powerful corporations like Amazon, Nike, and IKEA have publically opposed Tennesse bills widely viewed as discriminatory towards the LGBTQ community.

The Equality Act will almost certainly meet heavy resistance in the conservative Senate, and perhaps from Senator Alexander himself. The Heritage Foundation -- an influential Washington D.C. conservative think tank that has hosted Alexander's speeches -- is candidly opposed to the law, citing that employers, doctors, parents, children, women, non-profits, and volunteers will all be "harmed" by the Equality Act.

In the face of a resistant Senate, Swift has asked voters to encourage their senators to support the bill -- or else these powerful politicians with plush health care plans and healthy salaries could jeopardize their jobs.

"Politicians need votes to stay in office," said Swift. "Votes come from the people."