[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 507 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 507
Condemning the rise in hate against the transgender and nonbinary
community.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 28, 2021
Mr. Torres of New York (for himself, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms.
Wilson of Florida, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms.
Velazquez, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Lee of California, Mrs. Carolyn B.
Maloney of New York, Ms. Newman, Ms. Wexton, Ms. Norton, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Ms. Bush, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Carson, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Dean,
Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Takano, Ms. Jacobs of
California, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Jones, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Langevin, Mrs. Watson
Coleman, Mr. Keating, Mr. Payne, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Tonko, Mr.
Nadler, Mr. Auchincloss, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Kilmer, Mr.
Khanna, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Kahele, Mr. Sean
Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Welch, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Yarmuth, Ms.
McCollum, Mr. Kildee, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms.
Pressley, Ms. Manning, Ms. Bass, Mr. Evans, Mr. Carter of Louisiana,
Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Soto, Ms. Blunt Rochester,
Ms. Craig, and Ms. Davids of Kansas) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the rise in hate against the transgender and nonbinary
community.
Whereas an unprecedented 35 States have introduced more than 250 bills that
discriminate against transgender individuals, making 2021 the worst year
for legislation that discriminates against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community since 2015;
Whereas 35 bills would prohibit transgender youth from being able to access
best-practice, age-appropriate, gender-affirming medical care;
Whereas 69 bills would prohibit transgender youth and in some cases college
students from participating in sports consistent with their gender
identity;
Whereas 43 bills would allow people to assert a religious belief as
justification for failing to abide by the law or provide services to
people of whom they disapprove;
Whereas 15 bills would prohibit transgender people from having access to
restrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity;
Whereas 18 anti-LGBTQ bills have been passed in State legislatures in 2021;
Whereas 10 additional anti-LGBTQ bills await the final decision of a Governor;
Whereas nearly 1,500 transgender children in Arkansas will lose medical care
after the State became the first in the country to outlaw gender-
affirming treatment for minors;
Whereas a recent poll found that more than half of Americans personally know
someone who is transgender, and that two-thirds of Americans are against
laws that would limit the rights of transgender individuals;
Whereas legislation that discriminates against the transgender community is not
based in science and is intended to sow division and instill animosity
toward our fellow Americans;
Whereas transgender individuals are nearly four times as likely as cisgender
people to experience a mental health condition;
Whereas 42 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the
past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth;
Whereas transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected
by all of the people with whom they lived attempted suicide at half the
rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected by anyone with
whom they lived;
Whereas transgender and nonbinary youth who were able to change their name or
gender marker on legal documents, such as driver's licenses and birth
certificates, reported lower rates of attempting suicide;
Whereas it has been estimated that LGBTQ youth and young adults have a 120-
percent higher risk of experiencing homelessness;
Whereas violence against transgender or gender nonconforming individuals often
goes unreported or misreported because they are misnamed or misgendered
in three out of every four law enforcement or media reports;
Whereas 44 transgender killings were reported in 2020, making it the deadliest
year on record for transgender individuals in the United States and its
territories;
Whereas the first months of 2021 have already seen at least 29 transgender or
gender nonconforming people fatally shot or killed by other violent
means;
Whereas 7 in 10 transgender and gender nonconforming people killed as a result
of fatal violence were reported killed by an acquaintance, friend,
family member, or intimate partner;
Whereas 30 to 50 percent of transgender and nonbinary people reported having
experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their life;
Whereas isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic has increased instances of
intimate partner violence throughout the LGBTQ community;
Whereas Tyianna Alexander, Bianca ``Muffin'' Bankz, Dominique Jackson, Fifty
Bandz, Alexus Braxton, Chyna Carrillo, Jeffrey ``JJ'' Bright and Jasmine
Cannady (siblings), Jenna Franks, Diamond Kyree Sanders, Rayanna Pardo,
Jaida Peterson, Dominique Lucious, Remy Fennell, Tiara Banks, Natalia
Smut, Iris Santos, Tiffany Thomas, Keri Washington, Jahaira DeAlto,
Whispering Wind Bear Spirit, Sophie Vasquez, Danika ``Danny'' Henson,
Serenity Hollis, Oliver ``Ollie'' Taylor, Thomas Hardin, Poe Black, and
EJ Boykin were killed at the hands of transphobia;
Whereas Alexa, Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin, Layla Pelaez Sanchez, Serena
Angelique Velazquez Ramos, Penelope Diaz Ramirez, Neulisa Luciano Ruiz,
Yampi Mendez Arocho, and Michelle ``Michellyn'' Ramos Vargas were
victims of a surge in transphobia-related killings in Puerto Rico;
Whereas the Governor of Puerto Rico issued a state of emergency following these
violent killings to combat violence committed against the transgender
community;
Whereas fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color,
particularly Black transgender women, and the intersection of racism,
sexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and access to firearms
conspires to deprive them of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness; and
Whereas laws and political rhetoric that deny the humanity of transgender people
by blocking access in areas like health care, housing, public spaces,
and employment give license to others to take violent action based on
their biases: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the rise of legislation that discriminates
against the transgender and nonbinary community;
(2) condemns violence against the transgender and nonbinary
community;
(3) remembers the lives lost at the hands of
antitransgender hate and discrimination; and
(4) commits to advocating for the well-being and safety of
the transgender and nonbinary community.
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