[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 109 (Thursday, June 28, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H5970-H5972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH RESOLUTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al 
Green) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand in the House 
of Representatives today to announce the reintroduction of the LGBTQ 
Pride

[[Page H5971]]

Month resolution. This resolution encourages the celebration of the 
month of June as LGBTQ Pride Month.
  I am very proud to say that we are introducing this resolution 
because we want to commemorate the historic Stonewall uprising that 
took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969.
  The resolution has 95 original cosponsors, and I would dearly like to 
call each name; but, of course, time doesn't permit, and I might omit a 
name. So, Mr. Speaker, please know that it is well supported, and I am 
proud to have talked to a good many of the cosponsors who are very 
proud to be associated with this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution celebrates the accomplishments of many 
persons in the LGBTQ community, among them, Mayor Annise Parker, who 
was the first lesbian elected as mayor of the City of Houston--and who 
did an outstanding job, I might add.
  It also celebrates the hard work of the transgender community and 
what it has done to spread awareness about tolerance and inclusion to 
make sure all people are celebrated in this great country.
  It recognizes the protesters who stood for human rights and dignity 
at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. It recognizes them as some of 
the pioneers of the movement.
  The resolution celebrates the creation of gay rights organizations in 
major cities in the aftermath of the Stonewall uprising. It highlights 
the importance of the American Psychiatric Association removing 
homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in December of 1973.
  I want to pause and just say a word about this. Mr. Speaker, this was 
a significant accomplishment. It might seem like a small thing to a 
good many people, but when your very being is defined as a mental 
illness, and that is removed, it means something to people. It means 
that people can be themselves and not thought to be ill. So I am very 
proud to highlight this and the importance of it.
  It recognizes Elaine Noble as the first LGBTQ candidate elected to a 
State legislature in 1974, and Barney Frank, whom I had the honor of 
serving with in the House of Representatives on the Financial Services 
Committee, as the first Representative to come out as an openly gay 
Member of the Congress of the United States in 1987.
  It highlights the importance of the Civil Service Commission 
eliminating the ban on hiring homosexuals in most Federal jobs in 1975. 
Imagine not being hired simply because of who you are.
  It celebrates Harvey Milk having made national headlines when he was 
sworn in as an openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of 
Supervisors.
  It also highlights the importance of 1980, the Democratic Convention, 
where Democrats took a stance in support of gay rights.
  It celebrates Vermont becoming the first State to legally recognize 
civil unions between gay and lesbian couples in the year 2000.
  The resolution highlights the importance of the Supreme Court's 
ruling in Lawrence v. Texas in June of 2003, which held that, under the 
14th Amendment, States could not criminalize the private, intimate 
relationships of same-sex couples.
  It highlights the significance of Congress approving and President 
Obama signing the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
  It celebrates 2012 as the first year in which all 50 States had at 
least one LGBTQ-elected official.
  It celebrates Senator Tammy Baldwin being the first openly gay United 
States Senator in January of 2013.
  It highlights the importance of the ruling in the United States v. 
Windsor, which found section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, 
to be unconstitutional.
  It highlights the Equality Act, which was introduced on July 23, 
2015, by Congressman David Cicilline--with bipartisan support, I might 
add--as the first comprehensive civil rights bill, which amends the 
Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender 
identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or 
segregation in places of public accommodation.
  It also celebrates Eric Fanning being sworn in as the first openly 
gay Secretary of the Army.
  Mr. Speaker, Presidents have acknowledged this month as Pride Month. 
President Clinton was the first to do so in 1999. President Obama 
followed. It is unfortunate, however, that this President has not done 
so. This President has not honored the month of June as Pride Month, 
although he has honored it as a reason to celebrate many other things. 
We hope that the President will have a change of heart and will 
recognize June as Pride Month because there is good reason to do so.

  On June 28, 1969, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn decided to rise 
up. It was a seminal moment in time for the LGBTQ community. The 
movement was born out of the necessity to live and thrive in a country 
where, at the time, it was neither accepted nor safe in many places to 
do so. Stonewall is recognized by most people as the moment in time 
when persons decided that they had had enough.
  It was not unusual for members of the police department to come in. 
It wasn't just in Stonewall, not just into New York, but they would go 
into places where LGBTQ persons would congregate and harass them. It 
was something that was not accepted, of course, by the community. But 
officers, for whatever reason, thought that they could do so with 
impunity and, in fact, did do so with impunity in a good many places.
  Well, on this date, the members of the community decided that they 
would not take anymore. There was a pushback from the community in the 
form of persons just absolutely refusing to allow the harassment to 
take place. An uprising, a riot if you will, took place. As a result, 
many cities across the country adopted LGBTQ organizations and pride 
became something that persons wanted to exhibit.
  This was something that has metamorphosed from that moment in time to 
today, when we have Pride celebrations across the length and the 
breadth of the country. In Houston, we had a significant Pride parade. 
Literally scores of thousands of people were assembled and had the 
opportunity to celebrate with pride the fact that they were members of 
the LGBTQ community or they were allies of the LGBTQ community.
  The LGBTQ community has many allies in Congress, allies across the 
length and breadth of the country and the various statehouses, in 
police departments, allies who are willing to stand up and stand with 
the LGBTQ community. I count myself as an ally of the community and 
would hope that, as an ally of the community, what we are doing today 
will further the understanding that we, regardless as to who we are, 
should be proud to be associated with the LGBTQ community and proud to 
work with the LGBTQ community to acquire the additional rights that we 
all enjoy, to a certain extent--I say ``we all'' because there are 
still some things that are being denied persons of African ancestry--
but to receive the rights that the Constitution accords all people.
  I would use, as an example, the right to simply have a job. There are 
places in this country where persons are still fired because of who 
they are. Once it is known that a person is a member of the LGBTQ 
community, they are terminated with impunity.
  We have to do something about this. This is the United States of 
America. It is the greatest country in the world, and as such, we ought 
not discriminate against anyone because of who they happen to be.
  Here in Congress, we have the LGBTQ Caucus. I am proud to be 
associated with this caucus. It has taken a stand not only for the 
rights of members of the LGBTQ community, but also for the rights of 
members of other communities. It has taken a stand when it comes to 
immigration, taken a stand when it comes to integration.
  The LGBTQ Caucus in the Congress of the United States of America has 
a very broad reach, a very good understanding of the notion that human 
dignity is something that should be accorded all people. Human rights 
are not to be denied people because of who they are or who they happen 
to love.
  I am honored to be associated with the caucus, and I am a very proud 
American who stands here tonight to say: Let's continue to celebrate 
June as LGBTQ Pride Month, and let's encourage the President of the 
United

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States of America to do what other Presidents have done. This is a 
noble thing, it is an honorable thing, and we ask that it be done.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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