[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 58 (Wednesday, April 11, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E435-E436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE GAY AND LESBIAN ACTIVISTS ALLIANCE OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 11, 2018

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in celebrating the 47th anniversary of the 
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C. (GLAA) on April 
26, 2018. GLAA is a valued and respected local organization long in the 
vanguard of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning 
(LGBTQ) community's struggle for equal rights.
  GLAA, since its founding in April 1971, has been in the business of 
advocating for the District of Columbia's full and equal rights and for 
residents' civil rights. The Alliance defended the District's landmark 
D.C. Human Rights Act

[[Page E436]]

of 1977 and also demanded the Act's broad enforcement. In addition, 
GLAA forcefully advocates for LGBTQ youth, seniors and consumers as 
well as for the rights of transgender people. GLAA especially focuses 
on transgender rights regarding equal treatment by the police and 
access to culturally competent healthcare.
  GLAA also builds and nurtures coalitions with other constituencies. 
Specifically, it educates and rates candidates for D.C. offices. GLAA 
also works with its coalition partners and D.C. elected officials to 
advance its goals and to defend the District's autonomy. More recently, 
GLAA worked with its coalition partners to achieve the enactment of the 
District of Columbia Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality 
Amendment Act, which permits same-sex couples to marry in the District 
of Columbia.
  GLAA will present its 2018 Distinguished Service Awards to recipients 
at a reception on April 26, 2018. The awardees include:
  Check It Enterprises, formerly the Check It Gang, started as a street 
gang 10 years ago. The gang formed when a group of LGBTQ youth banded 
together as a gang in response to bullying and attacks on their LGBTQ 
identities. The members' oppression, traumatization and victimization 
produced anti-social behaviors. Check It members received no positive 
reinforcement or encouragement until they met a mentor, Ron Moten, five 
years ago. Ron never gave up on them and showed them a better way. 
Under his tutelage, Check It founded a clothing line and opened a 
business in Historic Anacostia. They raised $50,000 in remodeling costs 
for a building, where they make and sell clothing. The space also 
provides a safe haven for LGBTQ youth and young adults, as well as an 
area for other activities and programs. In 2016, filmmakers Diana Flor 
and Toby Oppenheim chronicled them in the award-winning documentary, 
Check It.
  D.C. Councilmember Mary M. Cheh, who has represented Ward 3 since 
2007, chairs the Committee on Transportation and the Environment. 
Councilmember Cheh authored the Conversion Therapy for Minors 
Prohibition Amendment Act of 2013 and the Death with Dignity Act of 
2015. Additionally, her legislative advocacy includes measures to 
protect the environment, combat homelessness, punish bias crimes 
against homeless individuals and eliminate the statute of limitations 
for the prosecution of sexual assault. She fights alongside community 
advocates for LGBTQ issues, particularly those advocating for homeless 
LGBTQ youth. Councilmember Cheh also supports legislation to require 
individuals subject to temporary protective orders to surrender their 
guns and to prevent domestic violence through the creation of a 
Domestic Violence High-Risk Team, which is based upon a successful 
model in other jurisdictions.
  Mr. Don Blanchon, the executive director of Whitman-Walker Health is 
the third awardee. He guides Whitman-Walker in its commitment to 
provide an affirming and safe health care environment to gender and 
sexual minorities and other marginalized communities in the District. 
During his 11 years of leadership, Whitman-Walker has emphasized 
treating the whole person, integrating the role that advocacy and legal 
intervention play into that care.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
honoring the recipients of GLAA's 2018 Distinguished Service Award and 
in celebrating GLAA's 47 years of contributions to the LGBTQ community 
here in the District of Columbia.

                          ____________________