[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2490-S2491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 487--AFFIRMING A COMMITMENT TO ELEVATE THE VOICES, 
LEADERSHIP, AND NEEDS OF HISTORICALLY AND CURRENTLY DISENFRANCHISED AND 
   UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN THE EFFORT TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND 
     SUPPORT ALL SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, INCLUDING IMMIGRANT 
 SURVIVORS, SURVIVORS WITH DISABILITIES, SURVIVORS OF COLOR, AMERICAN 
  INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE SURVIVORS, SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE, 
     QUEER AND INTERSEX SURVIVORS, AND LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND 
                         TRANSGENDER SURVIVORS

  Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Baldwin, and Ms. 
Harris) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 487

       Whereas sexual violence is a tool of oppression and a form 
     of discrimination that can deprive individuals of equal 
     access to educational opportunities;
       Whereas discrimination on the basis of sex includes 
     discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender 
     identity, sex stereotypes, pregnancy, termination of 
     pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions;
       Whereas the 2015 United States Transgender Survey found 
     that--
       (1) 47 percent of transgender people are sexually 
     assaulted; and
       (2) among transgender people of color, 65 percent of Native 
     Americans, 59 percent of multiracial people, 58 percent of 
     Middle Eastern people, and 53 percent of African Americans 
     are likely to have been sexually assaulted;
       Whereas the 2010 Centers for Disease Control National 
     Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found that--
       (1) 44 percent of lesbians and 61 percent of bisexual women 
     experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an 
     intimate partner, compared to 35 percent of heterosexual 
     women; and
       (2) 40 percent of gay men and 47 percent of bisexual men 
     have experienced sexual violence other than rape, compared to 
     21 percent of heterosexual men;
       Whereas the National Women's Law Center 2017 Let Her Learn 
     Survey found that 38 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or 
     transgender teen girls reported experiencing sexual violence 
     compared to 21 percent of all girls;
       Whereas data reveals that people with disabilities are at 
     an increased risk of being sexually assaulted;
       Whereas according to End Rape on Campus, children with 
     disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than children without 
     disabilities to be sexually abused;
       Whereas according to the Vera Institute of Justice, 83 
     percent of women and 32 percent of men with cognitive 
     disabilities reported being victims of sexual assault;
       Whereas women of all races and ethnicities face some risk 
     of sexual assault, and according to the 2010 Centers for 
     Disease Control National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence 
     Survey, 33 percent of multiracial non-Hispanic women, nearly 
     27 percent of indigenous women, 22 percent of Black women, 
     nearly 19 percent of white non-Hispanic women, more than 14 
     percent of Hispanic women, and 7 percent of Asian American 
     and Pacific Islander women in the United States have 
     experienced rape;
       Whereas according to a research report by the National 
     Institute of Justice, 56.1 percent of American Indian and 
     Alaska Native women have experienced sexual violence;
       Whereas sexual violence also affects adolescent girls, and 
     according to the National Women's Law Center 2017 Let Her 
     Learn Survey, 1 in 5 girls aged 14 to 18 has been kissed or 
     touched without consent, including 24 percent of Latina 
     girls, 23 percent of Native American girls, and 22 percent of 
     Black girls;
       Whereas studies show that sexual violence is an 
     underreported crime, indicating that the rates of sexual 
     violence may be even higher than these estimates;
       Whereas too many survivors from historically and currently 
     disenfranchised and underserved communities are ignored, 
     blamed, and cast aside when seeking support after 
     experiencing a form of sexual violence;
       Whereas, according to the Department of Justice, 31 percent 
     of young women in the juvenile justice system have been 
     sexually abused;
       Whereas youth of color, youth with disabilities, and youth 
     who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or 
     gender non-conforming are overrepresented in the child 
     welfare system;
       Whereas, according to the GLSEN 2016 report entitled ``From 
     Teasing to Torment: School Climate Revisited''--
       (1) 59.6 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 
     and queer (referred to in this preamble as ``LGBTQ'') 
     secondary students have been sexually harassed at school and 
     are more likely to experience sexual harassment than non-
     LGBTQ students; and
       (2) students with nontraditional gender expression are more 
     likely to experience sexual harassment than students with 
     traditional gender expression;

[[Page S2491]]

       Whereas high-quality, medically accurate, and LGBTQ-
     affirming sex education is critical in the effort to 
     eliminate sexual violence by teaching young people about 
     sexual assault, harassment, and affirmative consent;
       Whereas less than 40 percent of all high schools and only 
     14 percent of middle schools in the United States teach all 
     of the topics identified by the Centers for Disease Control 
     and Prevention as important sexual health education topics;
       Whereas, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National 
     Network, there is an increased likelihood that an individual 
     will suffer from suicidal or depressive thoughts after 
     experiencing sexual violence;
       Whereas, at a time of prioritized mass detention and 
     deportation and the rescinding of the Deferred Action for 
     Childhood Arrivals Program, it is less safe for immigrants to 
     report sexual violence;
       Whereas a history of systemic inequality and discrimination 
     as well as incomplete solutions has resulted in a lack of 
     resources to meet the needs of diverse survivor populations;
       Whereas according to the National Alliance to End Sexual 
     Violence--
       (1) there is a lack of resources for sexual violence 
     prevention for youth;
       (2) many rape crisis centers have waiting lists for 
     prevention programs; and
       (3) more investment is needed in the Rape Prevention and 
     Education Program;
       Whereas April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month;
       Whereas sexual violence will only end if survivors of 
     color, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender survivors, 
     survivors with disabilities, and immigrant survivors are 
     respected and supported;
       Whereas current support systems mandated by Federal law for 
     survivors of sexual violence are neither comprehensive nor 
     fully representative of the vast and pervasive elements 
     within rape culture; and
       Whereas Congress is working to confront pervasive sexual 
     violence in the workplace, in schools, and in every area of 
     life: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) affirms a commitment to elevate the voices, leadership, 
     and needs of historically and currently disenfranchised and 
     underserved communities in the effort to end sexual violence 
     and support all survivors of sexual violence, including 
     immigrant survivors, survivors with disabilities, survivors 
     of color, American Indian or Alaska Native survivors, 
     survivors of child sexual abuse, queer and intersex 
     survivors, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
     survivors;
       (2) supports efforts to raise awareness of the history of 
     sexual violence prevention programs;
       (3) calls upon this Chamber to--
       (A) give priority to the needs of survivors of sexual 
     violence and demonstrate proactive leadership in the effort 
     to end sexual violence; and
       (B) reject rollbacks of protections against harassment 
     under--
       (i) title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
     2000d et seq.), which prohibits discrimination in education 
     programs based on race, color, or national origin;
       (ii) title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
     2000e et seq.), which prohibits discrimination in employment 
     based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual 
     orientation and gender identity), or religion;
       (iii) title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 
     U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), which prohibits discrimination in 
     education programs based on sex, including sexual orientation 
     and gender identity;
       (iv) titles I and II of the Americans with Disabilities Act 
     of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq.), which prohibit 
     discrimination based on disability in employment and public 
     schools, respectively; and
       (v) section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
     U.S.C. 794), which prohibits discrimination based on 
     disability in education programs;
       (4) affirms that--
       (A) title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 
     1681 et seq.), title II of the Americans with Disabilities 
     Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq.), section 504 of the 
     Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), and title VI of 
     the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) 
     intersect; and
       (B) to address sexual violence in an educational setting, 
     these comprehensive civil rights laws must be viewed as 
     intersecting and pertaining to both sexual violence and 
     educational access;
       (5) affirms the pursuit of legislative solutions that--
       (A) address the unique needs and experiences of survivors 
     of sexual violence from historically and currently 
     disenfranchised and underserved communities;
       (B) allocate resources based on the needs and vulnerability 
     of diverse survivor populations; and
       (C) allocate resources for disaggregated research 
     initiatives that shed light on the disproportionate levels of 
     sexual violence and the impact of sexual violence on diverse 
     survivor populations; and
       (6) calls upon the executive branch to faithfully and 
     robustly enforce laws that protect survivors of sexual 
     violence and communities at higher risk of sexual violence 
     from harassment, discrimination, and mistreatment.

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