[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          24TH ANNUAL CAPITAL PRIDE FESTIVAL, JUNE 5-13, 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 24, 1999

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 24th Annual 
Capital Pride Festival, a celebration of and for the National Capital 
Area's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered communities and their 
friends.
  Since its inception in 1975, the Capital Pride Festival has grown 
from a small block party into a 9-day series of events which culminate 
in a downtown parade and Pennsylvania Avenue street fair on Sunday, 
June 13th. Last year over 3,000 people marched in the parade and 
participated as exhibitors, entertainers, or volunteers at the street 
fair. More than 175,000 people attended this annual celebration.
  It has been 35 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 and gays and lesbians are still not covered by its protections. We 
must fight to make sure that not another 35 years or 10 years or even 1 
year more passes without this Nation recognizing sexual orientation as 
a protected class in the United States. Congress must pass the 
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and I will do my best to make 
sure that it is passed in this Congress.
  This year, the Capital Pride Festival organizers and sponsors, the 
Whiteman-Walker Clinic and One-in-Ten, have selected ``Unite, 
Celebrate, Remember'' for the Festival's theme. Let's take that theme 
to heart and unite to achieve our goal of eliminating discrimination 
based on sexual orientation, celebrate our accomplishments, and 
remember those, like Matthew Shepherd, who we have lost because hatred 
and discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered 
Americans still exist.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in saluting the 24th Annual 
Capital Pride Festival, its organizers, and the volunteers who make it 
possible.

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