[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 102 (Wednesday, June 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E969-E970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN SUPPORT OF THE INTRODUCTION OF H. RES. 329 ``LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate LGBTQ Pride Month 
and the remarkable progress that has been made in making our country 
more diverse and tolerant and embracing differences in the 17 years 
since the cruel murder of Matthew Shepherd, a college student from 
Laramie, Wyoming, and 12 years since the historic case of Lawrence v. 
Texas that laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court decision in United 
States v. Windsor, which held that the Defense of Marriage Act was 
unconstitutional.
  As a country, America has made and continues to make great progress 
in the area of social equality, as evidenced most dramatically by the 
seismic shift in public support for marriage equality over the past 
decade.
  Today, supporters of marriage equality dramatically outnumber 
opponents by 61%-35%; a near total reversal from 2004, when opponents 
outnumbered supporters 58-39 percent. Currently, we await a critical 
ruling from the Supreme Court which could legalize same-sex marriage 
nationwide later this month.
  Our country made progress in bringing our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, 
mothers and fathers, out of the shadows with the repeal of ``Don't Ask, 
Don't Tell,'' which I was proud to support.
  Our nation is now stronger and our people are safer thanks to the 
sacrifices made by these brave Americans, who no longer need to choose 
between service and silence.
  There have been other changes for the better.
  In April 2015, President Obama issued a landmark Executive Order 
prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ persons in the workplace.
  This civil rights victory ensures the tax dollars used to pay 
government contractors support contractors that are committed to equal 
employment opportunity for all persons regardless of sexual orientation 
or gender identity.
  This legislation marks a major shift from a time when the U.S. Civil 
Service Commission prohibited the hiring of LGBTQ persons to a time 
when the Secretary of Defense has selected an openly gay man as his 
chief of staff.
  Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 46th anniversary of the LGBTQ Civil 
Rights Movement, where activists such as Frank Kameny led the struggle 
for the voices of the LGBTQ community to be heard.
  Frank Kameny's courageous demonstrations inspired others to resist 
mistreatment, and we witnessed in 1969 what happens when a community 
says enough is enough.
  Our country has made progress since the Stonewall uprising of 1969, 
and with the support of equal rights for all communities by leaders 
such as President Barack Obama, more and more voices are being heard.
  Mr. Speaker, although more remains to be done to realize the full 
promise of America that all are equally treated and protected by the 
law, it is undeniable that America is closer to realizing that promise 
than it was during the dark days of Stonewall.
  So there is much reason for joy and optimism as my home city of 
Houston celebrates Houston Pride Week right now.
  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the 16th largest LGBTQ community 
in the nation is located in the Houston metropolitan area, which I am 
privileged to represent.
  The Houston LGBTQ community is culturally diverse, economically 
dynamic, and artistically vibrant.
  Houston Pride Week has been an annual event for the last 36 years, 
since 1979, and promotes the individuality of Houston's ever-growing 
LGBTQ community.
  The Pride Festival and Parade are at the center of the Celebration 
and are annually attended by more than 400,000 people from Houston and 
around the world. I am a proud participant and previous grand marshal 
of the event.
   Mr. Speaker, progress is made through the efforts of courageous 
leaders who actively engage their communities and face adversity to 
ensure that the rights of all are clearly recognized and protected.
  People like the legendary Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1947 
Journey of Reconciliation which inspired the Freedom Rides of the 1960s 
and helped Dr. King organize the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference and who was the driving force behind the historic 1963 March 
on Washington.
  Texas natives such as Sheryl Swoopes, a 3-time WNBA Most Valuable 
Player and champion for the Houston Comets, as well as Houston Mayor 
Annise Parker, whose election made Houston the largest city in the U.S. 
to have an openly gay mayor.
  These leaders have set an example of what can happen when we lift the 
limits of inequality and support our fellow Americans in pursuit of 
their inalienable rights.
  Other members of the LGBTQ community whose contributions have 
enriched American culture and made our country better include the great 
poet Langston Hughes; Mandy Carter, 2008 national co-chair of Obama 
Pride and lifelong activist; Billy Strayhorn, the musician and gifted 
composer whose 30-year collaboration with Duke Ellington gave the world 
some of the greatest jazz music ever; Tom Waddell, army medical doctor 
and Olympic athlete; and James Baldwin, one of the towering figures in 
the history of American literature.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to acknowledge the achievements of just a few 
of the countless number of Americans who overcame prejudice and 
discrimination to make America a more welcoming place for succeeding 
generations of LGBTQ community members.

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