[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 107 (Thursday, June 22, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H5097-H5098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            LGBT PRIDE MONTH

  (Ms. JAYAPAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, all over the country, millions of Americans 
are celebrating Pride Month and our LGBTQIA communities across the 
country. In fact, this week I will join tens of thousands of 
Washingtonians at our annual Seattle pride events.

[[Page H5098]]

  We will come together to support our family, friends, neighbors, and 
colleagues; we will come together to celebrate the advancement of LGBTQ 
rights in our country; and we will come together to celebrate the 
second anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision that 
reaffirmed our commitment to the principle of marriage equality in this 
country.
  But this year, we also come together to acknowledge that we have seen 
a spike in hate crimes, an increasing coarseness of public discourse, 
and greater fear-mongering for political gain. We have a lot of work to 
do.
  We intend to protect every advancement that has been made and 
continue demanding progress toward full protections in employment and 
housing, safety for our transgender brothers and sisters, and equitable 
access to healthcare and other services.
  There is a lot to celebrate, but much more to do to ensure the 
promise of equality for all in our Nation. That is what this month has 
been about, and we celebrate it.

                          ____________________