There was an avalanche of hope and excitement last week among supporters of full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people when Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) introduced the sweeping, comprehensive Equality Act. The bill would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBT people in housing, employment, public accommodations, education and other areas, without the kind of broad religious exemption that caused much concern with the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which passed the Senate in 2013 but didn't get a vote in the GOP-controlled House. But not all LGBT activists, at least before the introduction of the Equality Act, were on board with this approach.