[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE 31ST ANNUAL CAPITAL PRIDE FESTIVAL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2006

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 31st Annual 
Capital Pride Festival, a celebration of the National Capital Area's 
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender, (GLBT) communities, their 
families and friends. The Capital Pride Festival has grown from a small 
block party in 1975 to the current week-long celebration. This year, 
Capital Pride culminates with the Pride Parade on June 10th and ``The 
Main Event,'' a street fair on Pennsylvania Avenue in the shadow of the 
Capitol, June 11th.
  I have marched in the Pride parades since coming to Congress to 
emphasize the universality of human rights and the importance of 
enacting Federal legislation to secure those rights for the GLBT 
community. This year's theme, ``Many Communities, All Proud,'' holds 
special meaning for the citizens of the District of Columbia and its 
GLBT community in particular. Washingtonians live in distinct, diverse 
neighborhoods such as Colonial Village to the North; Fort Drum to the 
South, Northeast Boundary to the East, and Spring Valley to the West. 
Yet, we unite in our quest for all the rights guaranteed U.S. citizens 
by the Constitution.
  In 1994, the District of Columbia lost the first vote it ever won on 
the floor of the House of Representatives, the delegate vote in the 
Committee of the Whole. The Republicans retracted the District's vote 
when they assumed control of the House. Our city of 550,000 residents, 
10 percent more residents than the entire State of Wyoming, who pay 
more taxes per capita than 49 of the 50 states, remains the only 
jurisdiction in the United States subject to Taxation Without 
Representation. Our Nation's Capital is entitled full voting rights in 
the House and the Senate. On May 18, 2006, the House Committee on 
Government Reform reported out the District of Columbia Fair and Equal 
House Voting Rights Act of 2006. This is the first milepost on DC's 
road to full and equal representation.
  This one success is a reminder of the pending legislation that the 
109th Congress must pass. The Clarification of Federal Employment 
Protections Act, The Domestic Partner Health Benefits Equity Act. The 
Domestic Partnership Benefits & Obligations Act, The Early Treatment 
for HIV Act, The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, The Family & 
Medical Leave Inclusion Act, The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, 
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, The Responsible Education About 
Life Act, The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, and The 
Uniting American Families Act.
  I ask the House to join me in welcoming the celebrants attending the 
31st Annual Capital Pride Festival in Washington, DC, and I take this 
opportunity to remind the celebrants that United States Citizens who 
reside in Washington, DC are taxed without full voting representation 
in Congress.

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