[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 418 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 418

   Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day Against 
     Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2023

  Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. 
   Cardenas, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Ms. Lois Frankel of 
 Florida, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Higgins of New 
   York, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Khanna, Mr. 
 McGovern, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Omar, Mr. Payne, Mr. Phillips, Ms. Pingree, 
   Mr. Pocan, Ms. Porter, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. 
   Schakowsky, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Soto, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Takano, Ms. 
  Titus, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Torres of New York, Ms. Velazquez, 
    Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Ms. Williams of 
Georgia) 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 the Workforce, 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, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).

Whereas homophobia, biphobia, interphobia, and transphobia are deeply entrenched 
        in societies across the world, including in the United States;
Whereas over 11,000,000 American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
        transgender, or queer (LGBTQ), and over 1,300,000 high school students 
        identify as LGBTQ;
Whereas, according to a 2018 study by the Williams Institute--

    (1) 24 percent of female same-sex couples are raising children; and

    (2) same-sex couples are 7 times more likely than different-sex couples 
to be raising an adopted or foster child;

Whereas, according to a 2020 study by the Williams Institute, 19 percent of 
        transgender adults are raising children;
Whereas the Center for American Progress found 1 in 3 LGBTQ people reported 
        experiencing discrimination in some area of their lives because of their 
        sexual orientation or gender identity;
Whereas 45 percent of United States employees report hearing anti-LGBTQ remarks 
        in the workplace and 25 percent say that LGBTQ people are treated worse 
        by law enforcement than non-LGBTQ people;
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 COVID-19 has further exacerbated the health disparities experienced by 
        lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) 
        people;
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 data from GLSEN, 83.1 percent LGBTQ+ students who attended 
        school in-person at some point during the 2021-2022 academic year 
        experienced in-person harassment or assault based on personal 
        characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender expression, 
        gender, religion, actual or perceived race or ethnicity, and actual or 
        perceived disability;
Whereas youth who are LGBTQ are 120 percent more likely to experience 
        homelessness than their non-LGBTQ 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, interphobia, 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 LGBTQI individuals to access prevention and treatment for HIV and 
        AIDS;
Whereas nearly one-half of all LGBTQ women report being physically or sexually 
        assaulted since they were 18 years old;
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 a 2021 Williams Institute study of national crime victimization data 
        found that transgender people are over 4 times more likely than 
        cisgender people to experience violence;
Whereas the Center for American Progress found that--

    (1) 15 percent of LGBTQ individuals, including 28 percent of 
transgender individuals, reported postponing or avoiding needed medical 
care when they were sick or injured due to disrespect or discrimination by 
health providers;

    (2) among LGBTQ people who reported experiencing some form of 
discrimination in the year prior, 36 percent reported avoiding doctors' 
offices to avoid discrimination compared with 20 percent of respondents 
overall; and

    (3) 18 percent of transgender people reported that a doctor or health 
provider refused to see them because of their actual or perceived gender 
identity;

Whereas LGBTQ adults are over twice as likely to be uninsured than their non-
        LGBTQ counterparts and LGBTQ adults, particularly bisexual men and 
        women, are more likely to experience poverty;
Whereas 67 countries have national laws that criminalize same-sex relations and 
        at least 42 United Nations member states have legal barriers for freedom 
        of expression on issues related to sexual and gender diversity, which is 
        equal to roughly 35 percent of United Nations member states;
Whereas 11 countries have jurisdictions in which the death penalty can be 
        imposed for private, consensual, same-sex sexual activity;
Whereas violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender 
        identity are documented in the Department of State's annual Country 
        Reports on Human Rights Practices;
Whereas the report covering 2021 continues to show a clear pattern of human 
        rights violations or abuses in every region of the world based on sexual 
        orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics;
Whereas these violations or abuses include murder, rape, torture, death threats, 
        extortion, and imprisonment, as well as loss of employment, housing, 
        access to health care, and other forms of societal stigma and 
        discrimination. The reports further document LGBTQI+-specific 
        restrictions on basic freedoms of assembly, press, and speech in every 
        region of the world;
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;
Whereas, according to a Williams Institute study of 120 countries, greater 
        social acceptance and legal rights for LGBTQ people are associated with 
        stronger economic growth; and
Whereas the European Parliament and other international bodies observe May 17 as 
        International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and 
        Transphobia: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of an International Day 
        Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia;
            (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, biphobia, and interphobia and empowering 
        communities to celebrate and respect their diversity;
            (3) encourages health care providers to offer culturally 
        and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
        transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and agender 
        (LGBTQIA+) community, schools to support the creation of gender 
        and sexuality alliances to achieve safer learning environments, 
        and individuals to learn about national resources for those who 
        identify as LGBTQIA+; 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 LGBTQIA+ people.
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