Final answer:
The legislation that seeks to ensure equality for all customers includes the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin, and other legal measures and executive orders aimed at prohibiting discrimination in various sectors, including employment and public accommodations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent executive orders and legal decisions aim to ensure equality for all customers by prohibiting discrimination in various areas of public life. The Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin in employment, public accommodations, and other areas. Initiatives for gay and lesbian protections have faced challenges, but significant strides were made through executive orders by President Clinton in 1998 and President Obama in 2014, and through a landmark legal victory in Romer v. Evans (1996). Despite the defeats of legislation like the Equality Act of 1974 and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which sought to extend protections for gay and lesbian individuals, executive and judicial actions have played a crucial role in advancing equal rights.
The Equality Act, though not passed, was groundbreaking in federal civil rights as the first to attempt to include protections for gay and lesbian individuals. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act also aimed to prohibit job market discrimination based on sexual orientation but was narrowly defeated in the Senate. These pieces of legislation, along with the Civil Rights Act and subsequent acts and legal rulings, demonstrate an ongoing effort to prohibit discrimination in job markets, housing, and other essential sectors and to provide equal opportunities.