CARRBORO, N.C.  —  Tiz Giordano has barely clocked in and already has a hefty to-do list.

Online grocery orders have steadily poured in, many from elderly or medically vulnerable residents who want to minimize their risk of contracting COVID-19. Giordano will spend their entire shift filling those orders, something they’ve done for the past year.

Giordano has worked at Weaver Street Market for about five years. The grocery cooperative makes a point of being a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community. That was a boon to Giordano, who identifies as gender-nonconforming and uses gender-neutral pronouns. At Giordano's previous jobs, fear of job loss kept them in the closet.

“Having to live a double life is not good for anybody,” Giordano says. “Having to be terrified that someone is going to see you out with your partner or dressed in the way that you feel comfortable presenting, that word is going to get around, and you’re going to lose everything you have.”

Last month, the U.S. House approved the so-called Equality Act. The measure would extend civil rights protections to cover one’s sexual orientation and gender identity, including in education, federal funding, jury service, and employment. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia already have similar laws on the books. President Joe Biden has voiced his support for the measure and has urged Congress to send it to his desk.

Giordano says being able to hold a job means much more than just a paycheck. They said employment, especially at a living wage, means being able to feed and support your family and obtain health insurance. When Giordano came to work at Weaver Street Market, Giordano says it felt like a weight had been taken off their shoulders.

“Coming to work and seeing people who were feeling solid in their identity, feeling safe enough, was a huge relief, and I realized that I could do this,” Giordano says.

The measure has not yet received a hearing in the U.S. Senate.