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LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, to Mr. Roy, I look forward to our debate tomorrow and I think a good resolution on a number of important issues before the committee.
Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to honor Pride Month.
I want to begin by saying that we are grateful to the members of the Congressional LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, who continue to be champions for full equality for our community.
Each year, we gather as a community in June to celebrate the progress that our community has made, that is the LGBTQ-plus community, and also to reflect on the work ahead and how much remains to be done. It is an opportunity each year to really celebrate the progress we have made and recommit ourselves to the work that remains. This year is no different.
In 2021, we come together on the floor of this House to celebrate Pride Month with some very great highs and some very deep lows. Our community was deeply impacted by COVID, both because preexisting conditions added to people's vulnerabilities, but also because segments of our population already face isolation, which was made even worse during the pandemic.
Like all communities, we have been shocked at the efforts to undermine our democracy and restrict the right to vote, restrictions that we know will impact our community, particularly people of color, trans people, and those with disabilities.
Of course, this year alone we witnessed a historic number of anti-
transgender laws being introduced around the country, many of them passing. Opponents of equality have decided to zero in on the most vulnerable within our community, the community that is subject to the greatest amount of violence and the worst kind of discrimination, and we must stand up in force against this.
But it wouldn't be Pride Month without a celebration, and we have much to celebrate this year.
In the last 6 months, Congress passed the NO HATE Act, which strengthens hate crimes reporting; we passed the Pulse Night Club Memorial bill. Now the Senate has passed it, and it goes to the President's desk for his signature.
In February, I proudly introduced H.R. 5, the Equality Act, with 224 original cosponsors. It passed the House with bipartisan support. President Biden has challenged Congress to do everything in its power to get him the bill, get it to his desk for his signature.
We are rolling up our sleeves to get the bill passed in the Senate. I am particularly proud that the House of Representatives did its part in passing this critical piece of legislation.
No American should be forced to live in fear of legal discrimination simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and they certainly shouldn't have to worry about whether or not the person in the White House or the State legislature will undermine what few protections they do have.
The Equality Act is a commonsense piece of legislation that gets to the core issue of equality by expanding the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other existing laws, to ensure that LGBTQ Americans can live their lives free from discrimination.
Equality is a founding principle of this great country, and I hope that by the time I stand before you for Pride Month next year, we will have turned this bill from a hope into a reality.
I am very proud to have the support of so many Members of Congress and so many colleagues. In fact, every single Democrat is an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, including, of course, you, Madam Speaker.
So I am proud to be a part of a caucus that understands the fundamental importance of recognizing the dignity and value of every person, and Pride Month is about expressing that and affirming that to all LGBTQ-plus people all across this country and all across the world.
Tonight, I am proud to have one of the co-chairs of the Equality Caucus, Mark Takano, Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, a member of the LGBTQ community, a very close friend, a deeply respected colleague, and a great champion for the equality of our community.
I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) to share his views on the celebration of Pride.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank my true friend from the State of Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), who chairs the LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, for his work.
I want to say that Pride is always a very special time of year. It is a time of protest, a time of celebration, a time that we remember the struggles, honor the trailblazers, and appreciate the progress that we have made in the fight toward equality.
Throughout our history, LGBTQ people have been denied their basic rights. To this day, LGBTQ Americans across the country still face discrimination in key areas of life, from housing to healthcare.
While the Supreme Court has ruled to expand nondiscrimination protections in employment and made marriage equality the law of the land, in 29 states LGBTQ people aren't fully protected from discrimination.
That is why we are working hard to get the Equality Act signed into law.
Discrimination in this country has also been enshrined into policies at every level, including in the military.
Despite this, thousands of brave LGBTQ Americans have still stepped up to serve our country in uniform. For decades, LGBTQ members of the U.S. military and veterans have faced discrimination stemming from official military policies, including Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Trans Military Ban.
Before Don't Ask, Don't Tell became an official military policy, servicemembers who were LGBTQ had to hide their identities, and those who were suspected of being LGBTQ were targeted by horrendous and traumatizing so-called witch hunts, which stripped them of their dignity and mistreated them based on a suspicion that had nothing to do with their service.
It is estimated that approximately 114,000 servicemembers were discharged on the basis of their sexual orientation between World War II and 2011, while an estimated 870,000 LGBTQ veterans have been impacted by ``hostility, harassment, assaultive behavior, and law enforcement targeting'' by discriminatory military policies.
Many LGBTQ veterans who were discharged on discriminatory grounds are unable to access their VA benefits, and those still serving face inconsistent protections that make them vulnerable to harassment and put their careers at risk.
But the true extent of the harm by discriminatory anti-LGBTQ policies in the military and at the VA is not known or well understood. To remedy the harm that has been done, we must reckon with the truth of what happened and understand the disparate effects of discriminatory military policies on LGBTQ people.
That is why I have introduced the Commission to Study the Stigmatization, Criminalization, and Ongoing Exclusion and Inequity for LGBTQ Servicemembers and Veterans Act, otherwise known as the Commission on LGBTQ Servicemembers and Veterans Act.
This legislation would launch a comprehensive study on the effects of discriminatory military policies on affected servicemembers, their families, and their units to help America learn the full extent of the harm caused by these policies and the status of protections for LGBTQ servicemembers today.
There are currently 250,000 Active Duty LGBTQ servicemembers and more than 1.5 million LGBTQ veterans receiving healthcare from the VA. But there continues to be a pervasive lack of data collection on LGBTQ servicemembers and veteran populations and an absence of education for both members of the military and the general public about members of the LGBTQ community who serve in uniform. This legislation seeks to address that.
It is essential for the American people to hear stories of LGBTQ servicemembers and veterans to understand the stigmatization they endured while serving our country and to know that, despite this, they are still immensely proud of their service.
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This month, I have been sharing powerful stories of LGBTQ veterans on my social media. Every video testimonial reveals stories of bravery and profound love for country. It ends with veterans sharing the same message: LGBTQ people want and deserve to serve, just like everyone else.
We have, of course, made a lot of progress as a country, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to make the military and VA more inclusive. It is my mission as co-chair of the Equality Caucus and chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to ensure that we honor the service of every American who has served, regardless of their identity.
This past weekend, we saw action that steers us toward that goal. The Biden administration announced that the VA will begin the first steps to expand care to include gender confirmation surgery for transgender veterans. This is truly a first and incredibly significant step that the VA is taking, and I applaud the VA's decision. Veterans in need of gender confirmation surgery should not have to seek healthcare outside of the VA healthcare system or navigate complicated processes to get the care they need.
This announcement will be life-changing for many, and it is the result of years of hard work and advocacy on behalf of trans veterans and allies.
So in honor of Pride Month, we must keep up the momentum, honor all those who have served our country in uniform, and commit ourselves to creating a truly equal nation.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Takano for his powerful words.
Now, Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Green), who has been a longstanding member of the Equality Caucus and who has always encouraged the celebration of Pride. For the last 8 years, he has led the resolution in the House marking June as LGBTQ Pride Month. I want to thank him again and his office for his efforts, and I thank him for being with us this evening.
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, and still I rise. And I rise tonight to continue to make my payments on a debt that I owe.
I am the son of the segregated South. I know what invidious discrimination looks like. I know what it sounds like. I know what it tastes like. I know what it smells like. Because I have suffered invidious discrimination, I want no one else to suffer what I have suffered.
I rise tonight to pay a debt because I didn't get here by myself, and the people who look like me, we didn't get here by ourselves. Along the way there were people of different stripes who made a difference, such that we could have the opportunities that we have today.
So I am proud to say that I am an ally of the LGBTQIA caucus. I am proud to say that I am a member of the congressional LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus. And I am proud to say that Mr. Cicilline is a person who I have great respect for, a person who is making a difference not only in the lives of people who are a member of the community, the LGBTQIA community, but also persons across the length and breadth of the globe, because when you help some directly, you help all indirectly.
I thank Mr. Cicilline for this preeminent privilege to stand tonight and to be a part of making the world a better place for others. I desire, if I may, to continue.
I want to make the world know that the caucus that I am a member of, the LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, has 170 members. The caucus was formed in the 111th Congress. Today, we have introduced the original LGBTQIA-
plus Pride Month resolution. This resolution encourages the celebration of the month of June as LGBTQIA-plus Pride Month. It tracks the accomplishments and the milestones and the fight for LGBTQIA-plus equality. It has 187 cosponsors, minus the 100. It has 87 original cosponsors.
This resolution is endorsed by the National Center for Transgender Equality, PFLAG National, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and the Transgender Foundation of America.
We introduced the first LGBT Pride Month resolution in 2013. This resolution had 25 cosponsors. We have introduced a Pride Month resolution in every Congress since 2013.
In 2020, the LGBTQ Pride Month resolution had 62 cosponsors. This year, the resolution has 87 original cosponsors.
Now I would like to just discuss some seminal moments in Pride history. June marks 52 years of Pride celebrations across the country. It was in June of 1970 that the first Pride march took place in New York City to commemorate Stonewall Inn, the site of an act of resistance in June of 1969.
In 1977, Harvey Milk became the first openly gay elected public official in the U.S.
In 1980, the Democratic Party became the first major American political party to endorse a gay rights platform.
In 2000, Vermont became the first State to recognize civil unions between same-sex partners.
In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled sodomy laws unconstitutional.
In November of 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Justice Court ruled that preventing gays and lesbians from marrying violates the State constitution.
In 2008, California voters passed proposition 8, a public referendum ending same-sex marriage in the State.
In 2009, Congress passed the Matthew Shepard Act, expanding hate crime laws to include acts motivated by a victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
Between 2009 and 2011, Vermont, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, the District of Columbia, and New York legitimized same-sex marriage.
In 2010, President Obama officially repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell, allowing gays, bisexuals, and lesbians to serve openly in the military.
In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down California's proposition 8 and the Federal Defense of Marriage Act.
On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition against sex discrimination laid out in title 7 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act applied to LGBTQ Americans.
Houston, Texas, has a history that we are proud of. We remember the uprising at Stonewall because it marked the beginning of a movement to outlaw discrimination and laws that prohibited LGBTQIA persons from having the same rights as other persons in this country. Nearly a decade after the resistance displayed in New York at Stonewall Inn, the gay rights movement for equality made its way to Houston, Texas.
Houston's own Stonewall movement occurred in June of 1977, when thousands gathered around city hall in downtown Houston to protest an infamous antigay activist who was performing in Houston, Texas. According to OutSmart magazine, more than 4,000 protesters marched around the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where the event was held.
The first Houston Pride parade took place in June of 1978, along Westheimer Road; and more than four decades later, it has become the fourth largest Pride parade in the country.
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This resolution that we have presented to the House today is one that we will continue to present. We will continue to present it because it is not only the right thing to do, but it is the righteous thing to do.
No person in this country should be treated in such a way as to be defined as mistreated simply because of who they are. We have a right to be ourselves, and we should never be put in a position such that it is perceived that being who you are is inappropriate in a country that extolls the virtues of liberty and justice for all, that extolls the virtue of all persons being equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
In this country, every person ought to be proud to celebrate Pride Month.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his very eloquent words.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams), a tireless advocate for women and historically Black colleges and universities, a member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, and an original cosponsor of the Equality Act.
Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his extraordinary work in this area. And I am a proud cosponsor of the Equality Act.
Madam Speaker, I am Alma Adams, and my pronouns are she, her, and hers. Tonight, I rise during Pride Month to honor some of the many LGBTQ elected officials who are working to make North Carolina a more equal and inclusive State.
Last week was Charlotte Black Pride Week, so I am happy to say that North Carolina's 12th Congressional District, which I represent, is home to LaWana Mayfield, who made history in 2011 as Charlotte's first openly gay elected official. Since then, Al Austin and Billy Maddalon joined her as LGBT members of the Charlotte City Council.
In Davidson, Jane Campbell, a retired captain in the United States Navy, serves on the Davidson Town Commission. And Charlotte's John Arrowood made history as the first openly LGBT judge on North Carolina's Court of Appeals.
All of these individuals put themselves forward for public service because they know that we can't sleep on fairness and equal rights. And I am working hard as an ally in Congress, alongside members of my congressional office, supporting the LGBTQ community, and I promise to continue to fight for their rights.
I wish everyone across our country happy Pride. Now go forth and continue to fight because we can't wait for equality; we have to win it.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for her eloquent words and for being part of our Pride celebration here tonight.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Newman), my new colleague who has been such an extraordinary, relentless advocate for our community. I know she does it on behalf of her child but also for children all across America.
Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Cicilline for organizing this Special Order tonight. It is so important.
Madam Speaker, today, I rise on behalf of the millions of LGBTQ-plus Americans who, in 2021, are still fighting for equality in our country.
This year is already record-breaking for anti-trans legislation. Right now, a trans teenager in America is growing up in a country where there are 33 States that have introduced more than 100 bills that aim to curb their rights. The bills are not grounded in science. The bills are not grounded in fact. The lawmakers who have introduced them can't even cite examples of any problem they are designed to solve.
To put it simply, these bills are grounded in hate, and they are not only hateful but demoralizing and frustrating and agonizing, demoralizing to a population of our country that already suffers from high rates of depression, bullying, and suicide.
In the United States, the lifetime depression rate for the general population is roughly 16.6 percent. For America's transgender women, it is 62 percent. Let that sink in.
As a mother of a transgender daughter, I know firsthand how much this weighs on all of our brothers and sisters.
Young LGBTQ-plus Americans need somewhere to turn to for help because most of them don't have someone to turn to. That is true.
In Illinois, we have a 24/7 youth hotline that supports students in crisis and engages trusted adults in their community. Bullying and threats of suicide are the two most common reports through the line. This resource has saved countless lives in Illinois.
But not every State has one of these. That is why I will be introducing legislation to support States' youth mental health and safety helplines and to help States develop these resources if they don't yet have one.
These resources are particularly critical for young Americans who are at a higher risk for bullying and suicide, such as those who belong to the LGBTQ-plus community.
While I continue to urge the Senate to pass the Equality Act, I also want to urge this entire body to work together so we can do more to support our LGBTQ-plus Americans.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for being part of this Pride Special Order and for her incredible advocacy on behalf of our community, particularly her heroic work on behalf of the transgender community. It is making a real difference.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss), a new colleague and someone who has been an extraordinary advocate for the LGBT community, a great ally for our caucus. He is a member of the LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, and a really powerful voice in our fight for equality.
Mr. AUCHINCLOSS. Madam Speaker, as we celebrate Pride Month, I rise to recognize my constituent, my friend, Newton City Councilor Holly Ryan. Councilor Ryan is a long-serving activist in my district and my hometown. She is the first openly transgender woman to serve on a city council in Massachusetts and the first openly LGBTQ-plus person to serve on the Newton City Council.
Holly is a distinguished champion of equality, serving as the founding member and former co-chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. Her advocacy led to the passage of both the 2011 trans rights law and the 2016 public accommodation law, ensuring that no one in the Commonwealth can face discrimination because of gender identity.
I was fortunate to serve with Councilor Ryan on the city council before coming to Congress. Councilor Ryan is a trailblazer, paving the way for a more equal future. Massachusetts is better off thanks to her accomplishments.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for participating in our Special Order and for being such a great ally to our community.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished senior member of the Judiciary Committee, someone who has long been a champion of justice and equality, a great ally to the LGBTQ community, an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, and a member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank my dear friend and courageous leader who brought us all together so many years ago and, I believe, built up the Equality Caucus into such an effective spokesperson for all of those who are voiceless in many instances.
Madam Speaker, I thank David Cicilline. I remember the journey he made on the Equality Act. It was a lot of meetings, a lot of engagement, but he brought us all together. I am very proud to be an original cosponsor and one that gave insight into the necessity for that legislation.
Let me say the very obvious, and that is happy Pride Month. It is an important statement for America, and it is about Americans.
Madam Speaker, these statistics from Texas would give you just a bird's-eye view of what our State is like: percent of adults who are LGBTQ-plus, 4.1 percent; total LGBTQ-plus population, 1,053,000 and, of course, growing; the workforce, 5 percent.
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Those who are workers, 647,000; and the LGBTQ-plus, adults raising children, 29 percent--just regular Texans, regular Americans. That is why we stand on the floor of the House today to be able to celebrate Pride Month. And though many of the occasions we have had in Houston and around the Nation are virtual, we are still making our voices heard.
We look forward in Houston to our big Pride Parade, and, of course, we look forward to recommitting ourselves to making equality in every aspect of American life real for members of the LGBTQ community.
We have a shared struggle, a collective joy that is found in the history of that struggle and life experiences that are unique. Unique because individuals have that experience of the LGBTQ-plus. Experiences that many of us have not had, but experiences that sometimes ground themselves in unfair discrimination.
Mr. Cicilline, I heard a Member on the floor just a few minutes ago indicate how he wanted to amend the Juneteenth legislation. He was sorry he could not amend it. And I was thinking to myself, well, my friend, we have been trying to amend it, establish it, declare it, for 156 years, since the Emancipation Proclamation, the second time around in 1865, in Galveston. And we waited too long. And I would say that we have been fighting for justice for this community, starting with Stonewall in Greenwich Village, and I would say that we could not wait any longer. That was an enormous moment of rising up for your own dignity and freedom and a watershed moment in the LGBTQ movement, reigniting the fight for justice and signaling a new chapter of progress in our country's quest to ensure that fair treatment is the rule, never the exception.
We appreciate the Supreme Court's decision in the fight to respect same-sex couples' right to marry--that took a long time--and to love. Our country's commitment to justice has been maintained by the tireless work of advocates.
I had been here during the Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and just the enormous pride when that was removed from the United States military under President Obama's administration. The auditorium was standing room only as that was signed to ensure that it never would happen again.
This a social movement, enshrined with truth and belief, and the basis of creating all of us worthy of human dignity.
In keeping with this belief, we cannot forget the great champions of my great State, who have been proud Texans, who have not been afraid, even in the climate that we live: Sara Fernandez, Judy Reed, Tommie Ross, JD Doyle, Dalton DeHart, Judge Jerry Simoneaux, and Judge Fran Watson. But, also, our senior stateswoman, and that is our former mayor, Annise Parker, who led the cause for the status of LGBTQ in our community. We thank you, former Mayor Parker.
We thank you for the fight of equality, though we did not make it in this city when we tried to do an ordinance to indicate that bathrooms were not important and no one in this community should be characterized as attacking anyone but just wanting freedom and justice.
I would like to recognize a few organizations that continue to do great work: The Houston GLBT Political Caucus, Save Our Sisters United, Montrose Grace Place in the Montrose Center--many of these were pioneers in doing the work that was so important.
Madam Speaker, I am reminded of the Ryan White Treatment Act. As a member of the Houston City Council, I was honored to be the only Member of Congress that came from Houston, Texas, to stand by Ryan White and his family here in the United States Congress with the late former Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch, the two cosponsors; stand right next to him in a sweaty, very small room. I am not sure why they selected that small room. They must have believed that we were not coming from everywhere to witness this historic moment of the Ryan White Treatment Act and to meet Ryan White at that time. It was an amazing recognition at that time of the need for AIDS treatment.
But sadly to say, I sat by the bedside of many of my constituents whose families would not acknowledge that they had HIV/AIDS, and they died alone. What a moment that we lived through. So many died; so many alone, except for friends who would be willing to be by their bedside. We have come a mighty long way.
Madam Speaker, very quickly, as I close, that honor continues to go to those who continue to fight. My meeting with Matthew Shepard's mother, of sitting with her in my office when we talked about the Matthew Shepard Act, and being so proud for her to include me in her book. How heinous to lose your son in that way. How many parents have had to face that?
But again, I pay tribute to Monica Roberts in Houston, who leaves a gaping hole in the hearts of the LGBTQ-plus community. Monica worked as a trailblazing journalist and advocate, never failing to censure the stories of Black trans people and shining the light on the issues of those often ignored.
We intend to introduce legislation dealing with the sizeable number of murders against Black trans persons--mostly women. Ray Hill co-
organized the first gay rights organization in Houston in 1967, fiercely advocating for those living with HIV and AIDS.
And so the more than 46,000 same-sex couples in Texas, a third of them LGBTQ Texans, who are raising children. This is a new day, but our work for justice has not ended.
We thank the Williams Institute of the UCLA School of Law. Approximately 900,000 Texans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. And maybe one day my State will recognize the fullness of the equality of all. Thank goodness for the H.R. 5, Equality Act, that covers Texas as well.
Madam Speaker, in my third closing--with a little bit of humor--but with all seriousness, I wanted to make sure that I added to this Record the Texas Tribune article, ``Texas lawmakers advance bills blocking access to gender-affirming healthcare despite opposition from LGBTQ Texans, medical associations,'' directly impacting 17-year-old Indigo Giles, who was able to get surgery before this law, now 19.
Madam Speaker, ending the depression that they faced, ending the attacks that they felt, feeling more comfortable in their skin--that is what this month is all about, saying to them, saying to America: We are pride and we are proud. And we stand together as an extended family of LGBTQ-plus and all of those who, frankly, recognize that our freedom is intertwined with your freedom.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her really eloquent words and for being such a good ally for our community for so long.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), an education and voting rights advocate, an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, vice-chair of the Equality Caucus here in the House, and an extraordinary champion for our community.
Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Cicilline, for organizing this Special Order hour and for his leadership in introducing and passing the Equality Act, and I look forward to it being signed into law.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Pride Month and to celebrate the rich history of LGBTQ activism in the greater Philadelphia area.
In 1965, years before the Stonewall uprising, protestors borrowed from the tactics of the civil rights movement and staged a sit-in at Dewey's lunch counter in Philadelphia in opposition to its policy of refusing service to ``homosexuals,'' ``masculine women,'' ``feminine men,'' and ``persons wearing non-conforming clothing.'' Can you imagine what they would think today?
Philadelphia is home to this--the first and oldest LGBTQ bookstore in the United States--Giovanni's Room, as well as Philadelphia Gay News, the oldest LGBTQ publication in the United States. As early as 1981, activists were meeting with the local Department of Public Health to discuss the virus that would eventually become known as AIDS and put pressure on them to address this growing crisis.
In more recent history, Amber Hikes, in the City's Office of LGBT Affairs introduced a more inclusive Pride flag in 2017, adding black and brown stripes to represent LGBTQ people of color.
Today, activism within Philadelphia's LGBTQ community continues through groups like the William Way Community Center, and people like my friend, Kendall Stephens, who is pushing for Pennsylvania to update its hate crime statute to finally include LGBTQ people as a protected class.
From early protests to the continued advocacy of today, the Philadelphia region has plenty to be proud of during Pride Month.
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Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for being part of this Special Order hour tonight.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs), a colleague on the Foreign Affairs Committee, someone who has dedicated her work, even before she got to Congress, to ending childhood poverty to the promotion of human rights and equality. She is an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, a member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, and a great advocate for our community. We are delighted she is with us this evening.
Ms. JACOBS of California. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Cicilline for yielding to me.
I am honored to join my colleagues tonight to mark Pride Month. I should know note, San Diego actually officially celebrates Pride in July. So I am happy I get an extra month to celebrate with all of you.
Madam Speaker, I stand here today as the proud sister to a trans brother and a gender nonconforming sibling; a proud member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus; and the proud representative of Hillcrest, the heart and soul of San Diego's diverse and vibrant LGBTQ-plus community.
This year has been difficult for so many of us, but especially for the LGBTQ-plus community. COVID-19 took friends, family members, and beloved community leaders from us. It forced so many into isolation; closed our communal spaces; and added to the economic, mental health, physical health, and childcare burdens.
And to all of the young people stuck at home, away from their friends, and may be with family who doesn't accept you, know this: You are perfect just the way you are and we need you.
But during this pandemic, San Diego's LGBTQ-plus community also rallied together to support one another and to support our community at large. The San Diego LGBTQ Community Center hosted food banks and made home deliveries for folks who were homebound. San Diego Pride hosted vaccine events for LGBTQ-plus people of color, trans, and non-binary people, and those living with HIV.
And next month, at long last, we will finally be able to celebrate Pride together again in person. And as we celebrate, we are also focused on the future. I am proud to work alongside all our LGBTQ-plus siblings to fight for an end to discrimination in all its forms based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Earlier this year, I was honored to join every one of my Democratic colleagues as an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, legislation that will be life-changing for so many of my constituents.
The first version of this bill was filed 15 years before I was even born. It had one cosponsor and never got a vote. It is humbling to think about the progress that has happened in my lifetime, progress that was made possible by all those who marched and protested and raised their voices. I am proud to work alongside all of you to continue that work. We will keep up the fight until everyone has equal rights under the law.
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for being part of this Special Order hour and for her great support of the LGBTQ-plus community.
Madam Speaker, before I end, I just want to recognize Annise Parker. I also want recognize Barney Frank, Jared Polis, our former colleagues who have served in this House. And now Governor Polis is the Governor of Colorado. Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema in the United States Senate. Sean Patrick Maloney, Mark Pocan, Angie Craig, Sharice Davids, Mark Takano, Chris Pappas, Mondaire Jones, and Ritchie Torres, who are current Members of Congress. There are nine LGBTQ Members in the House and two in the Senate. So 11 Members in total.
And part of the reason we celebrate Pride is to send a message to the entire community, but especially to young people who may be struggling with their sexual orientation or their gender identity. Pride is a moment for us to say: You are valued. We celebrate you. We honor you. You have a right like every other American to be treated with dignity and respect. You are hearing that from the floor of the United States House of Representatives, where nine Members of our community serve openly and honestly, and two Members in the Senate.
Let that be a message to every young person, every family struggling with the issues of sexual orientation or gender identity, that they are heard, they are valued, they are affirmed and respected.
Happy Pride Month.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 108
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