[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 29, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4717-S4718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH 2016

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, 
Bisexual, and Transgender, LGBT, Pride Month. Reaching back to 
Stonewall, June carries a special significance for LGBT individuals 
across the Nation. For more than 40 years LGBT Pride month has been a 
time for all Americans to celebrate the immeasurable contributions LGBT 
individuals have made to our great Nation, the progress the LGBT 
community has made in the U.S. and abroad, and the challenges faced in 
the fight for equality.
  America's never-ending effort to become a ``more perfect union'' 
involves the long quest to secure equal rights and justice for the LGBT 
community by, as I just said, changing hearts, minds, and policy. The 
last year has seen hard-fought progress for the LGBT Americans.
  With the Supreme Court's decision last June in Obergefell v. Hodges, 
same-sex marriage is now a fundamental right in every State in the 
Union. After years of legal battles and families being told that the 
government would not recognize their love and mutual commitment in the 
same way it might view their neighbors, the Supreme Court finally ruled 
that equality is an inherently American value that should not be denied 
or taken away from anyone. And just this past Friday, President Obama 
designated the historic site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York 
City as our Nation's newest national monument. This designation will 
create the first official National Park Service unit dedicated to 
telling the story of LGBT Americans.
  The LGBT community has made strides in righting past wrongs. I 
commend Defense Secretary Ash Carter for

[[Page S4718]]

adding sexual orientation to the U.S. military's equal opportunity 
program. Roughly a year after that historic decision, Eric Fanning, an 
eminently qualified public servant, with a long track record of working 
on behalf of the men, women, and families of our Armed Forces, finally 
was confirmed by the Senate to become the Secretary of the Army. 
Secretary Fanning is openly gay, and his confirmation reflects a long 
overdue but commonsense understanding that sexual orientation and 
gender identity are not relevant to one's ability to serve this nation.
  Our military was not alone in taking steps to ensure that all who 
wish to serve their country and community are able to do so without 
discrimination.
  The Boy Scouts of America announced that, ``the national executive 
board ratified a resolution removing the national restriction on openly 
gay leaders and employees.''
  I think this move by the Boy Scouts is worth noting because it 
impacts two issues that I find very important to the future of this 
country: the welfare of our children and encouraging civic involvement. 
The Boy Scouts of America are one of our most venerated civic 
organizations serving young people. I believe that no individual should 
be prevented from serving their country or enriching their community 
based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Boy Scouts' 
decision not to discriminate will lead to more well-rounded scouts.
  For as much progress as we have seen in the last year, there have 
been several recent events that show our need to recommit to building a 
more perfect union for all Americans.
  The shooting on June 12 in Orlando and attacks on LGBT individuals 
across the country and abroad show that in far too many places across 
the world, being openly LGBT still carries great risk.
  That an attacker would target this venue, especially during Gay Pride 
Month, is a horrific tragedy and a senseless loss of human lives.
  My deepest sympathies are with those killed and injured in this 
terror attack and hate crime, along with their families and loved ones. 
My thanks go out to the first responders who saved lives in the midst 
of such danger. There is no simple solution to preventing this type of 
tragedy. But one step that would help is for Congress to enact 
commonsense gun safety legislation in the coming days.
  American values of tolerance, compassion, freedom, and love for thy 
neighbor must win out over hate, intolerance, and homophobia.
  No one should fear for their lives simply because of who they are. 
This moral truism extends beyond the LGBT community. And so it is 
disturbing that State legislatures have recently taken steps to breathe 
new life into the defunct and deplorable practice of separate but equal 
facilities. Attempts to restrict the use of public facilities by 
transgender people is unsettling to say the least.
  As a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 
Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for 
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, 
Parliamentary Assembly, I take special note when foreign legislatures 
take steps to codify discrimination.
  When we see discrimination happening in our own society, we must take 
action.
  In our democracy, state-sponsored discrimination sends two strong 
messages. First, it tells those who are being discriminated against 
that the government does not fully recognize you as an equal member of 
the society. Secondly, it sends a not-so-subtle wink and a nod to 
private citizens and businesses that further discrimination and abuse 
will be tolerated.
  Thankfully, Americans of every gender sexual orientation, and gender 
identity have spoken out against these laws.
  In the U.S. Senate, I have been a proud ally of the LGBT community 
and will continue to oppose efforts to return to a time when our 
government-sanctioned discrimination.
  This struggle for equal rights continues not only in our States, but 
here in the Congress. The House of Representatives, for example, 
recently considered a provision to prevent businesses that contract 
with the U.S. Government from discriminating against LGBT employees. It 
is shameful that, in 2016, the Congress of the United States of America 
cannot agree that discriminating against Americans based on a core 
identifying characteristic is wrong, just as it is illegal to 
discriminate on the basis of race or religion.
  Congress should take up and pass the Equality Act, which I am proud 
to cosponsor, which would provide comprehensive antidiscrimination 
protection for LGBT individuals in areas such as housing, education, 
employment, credit, and public accommodations.
  Congress should take up and pass my End Racial Profiling Act, which 
prohibits discriminatory profiling by law enforcement officers, 
including profiling based on gender, gender identity, or sexual 
orientation.
  As ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have 
worked to put international human rights at the forefront of U.S. 
foreign policy, whenever possible. The international community has made 
notable strides in ensuring that LGBT individuals are treated with the 
respect and dignity that all people deserve.
  Nepal took the commendable step of including LGBT protections in 
their new constitution. Malta, Ireland, Thailand, Bolivia, and Vietnam 
all passed laws protecting transgender individuals.
  Ukraine outlawed LGBT workplace discrimination, Kazakhstan struck 
down a dangerous anti-LGBT law, and Mozambique decriminalized 
homosexuality. These are small but important steps.
  But as much as we can and should celebrate global progress on these 
matters, we have also seen troubling setbacks. In too many countries, 
being LGBT still is criminalized or met with violence, most recently 
with the brutal murder of Xulhaz Mannan, a USAID employee at the U.S. 
Embassy in Bangladesh and editor of Bangladesh's first and only LGBT 
magazine. Tragically, what happened to Mr. Mannan in Bangladesh is seen 
over and over again around the world. LGBT rights are human rights, and 
as we engage with the international community on human rights, we must 
prioritize LGBT rights.
  As I said at the beginning of my remarks, the American experience is 
about individuals working together to build a more perfect union by 
changing hearts, minds, and policy. Since our founding, the U.S. Senate 
has played a key role in achieving this goal. It is very clear that 
ensuing LGBT Americans are afforded all the same rights and protections 
as their neighbors is central to building that more perfect union. The 
Senate should stand as a bulwark against intolerance and guardian of 
civil rights for LGBT individuals everywhere.
  Before I conclude my remarks, I would like to recognize the Baltimore 
Pride Celebration. Baltimore Pride will be held for the 41st time on 
July 19-24. Baltimore has a strong LGBT community with a long history 
of activism and civic engagement. The Baltimore Pride Celebration is a 
chance to celebrate all the amazing contributions LGBT Baltimoreans 
make to my hometown.

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