[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 96 (Monday, July 8, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H4189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING CASTRO VALLEY PRIDE

  (Mr. SWALWELL of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SWALWELL of California. This weekend in Castro Valley, in my 
district, we have a lot to celebrate. We will be celebrating Castro 
Valley Pride. I am pleased to recognize Castro Valley Pride and its 
organizer, Billy Bradford.
  We will be celebrating the sweet sound of the wedding bells that will 
be ringing in our district now that our friends and loved ones in the 
LGBT community, after the Supreme Court ruling, will again be allowed 
to marry. I was thrilled to know, as many were across my State, that 
the Supreme Court recently allowed same-sex marriage to resume in 
California. Love is love, and this decision allows loving gay and 
lesbian couples to be treated the same as everyone else. These couples 
and married couples across the country will also benefit from the 
Supreme Court's decision to strike down DOMA. No longer will the 
Federal Government be able to treat all same-sex couples as second-
class citizens.
  But the fight is not over.
  We must make sure that once you are legally married in a State, you 
don't lose your Federal benefits just because you move to a State that 
does not recognize same-sex marriage. We also have to make sure that 
people are not discriminated against because of their sexual 
orientation or gender identity. This includes protecting against 
housing and job discrimination, for example. More broadly, we want to 
make sure that everyone is embraced and valued for who one is. No one 
should suffer hate, bullying, or rejection for being gay or lesbian.
  Our diversity is our strength, and we must never forget that. I look 
forward to celebrating it during Castro Valley Pride this weekend.

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