[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 388 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 388

   Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day Against 
                 Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2019

    Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Khanna, Mr. 
Grijalva, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, 
   Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Titus, Ms. Speier, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Larsen of 
 Washington, Ms. Frankel, Mr. Pallone, Ms. Moore, Mr. Lowenthal, Mrs. 
Davis of California, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Soto, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr. 
Nadler, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Schakowsky, 
Mr. Kilmer, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New 
York, Mr. Correa, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Crist, Mr. 
  Higgins of New York, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Quigley, Ms. 
  Jackson Lee, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Garcia of 
Texas, Mr. Takano, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Haaland, Ms. Meng, Mr. Raskin, Mrs. 
 Lawrence, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. 
 Himes, Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Craig, Ms. Porter, Mr. Brown of Maryland, 
 Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. McEachin, Mr. Cisneros, 
  Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Swalwell of California, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Danny K. 
  Davis of Illinois, Mr. Payne, and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and 
Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day Against 
                 Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.

Whereas over 11,000,000 American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or 
        transgender (LGBT), and 1,300,000 high schoolers identify as LGBT;
Whereas, according to a February 2013 report by the Williams Institute, an 
        estimated 3,000,000 LGBT Americans have had a child and as many as 
        6,000,000 American children and adults have an LGBT parent;
Whereas the Center for American Progress found 1 in 4 LGBT people reported 
        experiencing discrimination in some area of their lives because of their 
        sexual orientation or gender identity in 2016;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia contribute to disparities in 
        physical and mental health indicators such as depression, substance use, 
        cancer, and experiences of abuse and violence;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention further report that 
        homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia limit an individual's ability to 
        access high-quality health care and negatively affect such individual's 
        income and employment status;
Whereas, according to the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, homophobia, 
        transphobia, and biphobia contribute to disproportionately high rates of 
        HIV among men who have sex with men and transgender women;
Whereas, according to a 2017 survey by GLSEN (formerly known as the Gay, Lesbian 
        & Straight Education Network), 87 percent of students who identify as 
        LGBT were harassed at school in the past year due to their sexual 
        orientation, 60 percent felt unsafe at school because of their sexual 
        orientation, and 40 percent because of their gender identity;
Whereas youth who are LGBT are 120 percent more likely to experience 
        homelessness than their non-LGBT counterparts and are likely to lack 
        access to health care and develop stress-related disorders;
Whereas youth who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are over 4 times more 
        likely to attempt suicide compared to their heterosexual counterparts 
        and transgender youth are over 5 times more likely to attempt suicide 
        than their cisgender counterparts;
Whereas homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia are associated with minority 
        stress that may underlie sexual behaviors that can increase the risk of 
        HIV and AIDS transmission, and also create additional barriers for LGBT 
        individuals to access prevention and treatment for HIV and AIDS;
Whereas, the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, a study of 27,715 transgender adults, 
        found that 77 percent of those who were out or perceived as transgender 
        in K-12 were harassed, physically or sexually assaulted, or faced other 
        forms of mistreatment because of being transgender, and nearly 1 in 5 
        (17 percent) were forced to leave a school because of the severity of 
        mistreatment that they faced;
Whereas the Center for American Progress found 8 percent of lesbian, gay, 
        bisexual, and queer survey respondents and 29 percent of transgender 
        respondents reported a doctor refused to see them because of their 
        actual or perceived LGBT status and LGBT patients who experienced 
        discrimination were nearly 7 times more likely than those who had not to 
        avoid going to a doctor;
Whereas LGBT adults are over twice as likely to be uninsured than their non-LGBT 
        counterparts and LGBT adults, particularly bisexual men and women, are 
        more likely to experience poverty;
Whereas 68 countries still criminalize homosexuality, and LGBT people in these 
        countries face violence, increased discrimination, and blackmail;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, in some countries 
        transgender women are 80 times more likely to have HIV, and there were 
        2,982 reported killings of transgender people in 72 countries between 
        2008 and 2018; and
Whereas the European Parliament and other international bodies observe May 17 as 
        an International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of an International Day 
        Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia;
            (2) encourages the Federal Government, States, localities, 
        nonprofit organizations, schools, and community organizations 
        to observe the day with appropriate programs and activities, 
        with the goal of increasing public knowledge of homophobia, 
        transphobia, and biphobia and empowering communities to 
        celebrate and respect their diversity;
            (3) encourages health care providers to offer culturally 
        and clinically competent care to the LGBT community, schools to 
        support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer 
        learning environments, and individuals to learn about national 
        resources for those who identify as LGBT; and
            (4) encourages the Federal Government, States, 
        international funding organizations, and United States 
        bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health 
        and human rights of LGBT people.
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