[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 94 (Friday, June 2, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH AND HOUSTON PRIDE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 2, 2017

  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 of differences in the 17 years 
since the cruel murder of Matthew Shepherd, a college student from 
Laramie, Wyoming.
  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 percent; a near total reversal from 2004, when 
opponents outnumbered supporters 58-39 percent.
  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.
  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.
  And we are making progress in realizing the goal of making the H.R. 
2282, the ``Equality Act of 2017,'' the law of the land so LGBTQ people 
will finally be guaranteed explicit, permanent protection under the 
nation's existing civil rights laws against discrimination in vital 
areas of life, like employment, access to public spaces, housing, 
credit, education, jury service, and federally-funded programs.
  It is unacceptable that in 31 states LGBTQ people can get married on 
Sunday and remain at risk of being fired or evicted on Monday simply 
because of who they are.
  Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 48th Anniversary of the LGBTQ Civil 
Rights Movement, where activists such as Frank Kamney led the struggle 
for the voices of the LGBTQ community to be heard.
  Frank Kamney'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 when my home city of 
Houston hosts ``Wonderland,'' Houston's Pride Week celebration later 
this month, from June 18 to 25, 2017.
  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 38 years, 
since 1979, and promotes the individuality of Houston's ever-growing 
LGBTQ community.
  The Pride Festival and Parade are at the center of a celebration 
annually attended by more than 600,000 people from Houston and around 
the world.
  Mr. Speaker, as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us, 
``Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate 
cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.''
  All Americans should be deeply concerned over the increase in 
violence and acts of hate perpetrated against members of the LGBTQ 
community we have witnessed in recent months.
  Especially troubling is the rise in bigotry and violent crimes 
against transgender people, particularly transgender women of color.
  According to statistics compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, at 
least 22 transgender people in the United States lost their lives due 
to fatal violence, the most ever recorded.
  Sadly, we are on pace to break this record in 2017, as 11 transgender 
persons have been killed in the first five months.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite all Americans to visit Houston during Houston 
Pride Week to observe how we live out our conviction that ``Love Will 
Conquer Hate.''
  Progress is made through the efforts of courageous men and women 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, and former Houston Mayor 
Annise Parker.
  These leaders have set an example of what can happen when we lift the 
limits of inequality and support our fellow Americans in their pursuits 
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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