[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 109 (Thursday, June 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4637-S4638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 270--RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                           STONEWALL UPRISING

  Ms. BALDWIN (for herself, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Collins, 
Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Markey, Mr. Casey, Ms. Harris, Mr. Murphy, Mr. 
Bennet, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Booker, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Sanders, Mr. Coons, Ms. Smith, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Carper, Ms. 
Hirono, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Cardin, Ms. 
Hassan, and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following resolution; which 
was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 270

       Whereas the Stonewall Inn opened on or around March 18, 
     1967, at 53 Christopher Street in the Greenwich Village 
     neighborhood of New York City;
       Whereas the neighborhood of Greenwich Village, and 
     establishments like the Stonewall Inn, served as a sanctuary 
     for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and 
     queer (referred to in this preamble as ``LGBTQ'') community 
     from persecution by police and society at large;
       Whereas during the time around the opening of the Stonewall 
     Inn, many State and local governments, including New York 
     City, criminalized how LGBTQ individuals express their 
     identities and relationships, which resulted in LGBTQ 
     individuals frequently being harassed by law enforcement, 
     including the New York City Police Department (referred to in 
     this preamble as the ``NYPD'');
       Whereas LGBTQ individuals had begun to stand up to such 
     police harassment, including at Cooper Do-nuts in Los Angeles 
     in 1959, Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco in 1966, and 
     Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles in 1967;
       Whereas, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the 
     NYPD raided the Stonewall Inn and arrested many patrons;
       Whereas brave individuals, particularly transgender women 
     of color, stood up to injustice the night of June 28, 1969, 
     which sparked an uprising against the NYPD, with 
     confrontations and protests at the Stonewall Inn and the 
     surrounding area lasting until July 3, 1969;
       Whereas the Stonewall uprising empowered thousands of LGBTQ 
     individuals to emerge from the shadows and come out publicly 
     as they stood up for their community the night of June 28, 
     1969 and beyond, putting their lives and safety at risk;
       Whereas, along with public protests in Chicago, Los 
     Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, 
     D.C., and elsewhere, the Stonewall uprising became a catalyst 
     for the LGBTQ civil rights movement to secure social and 
     political equality and inspired the formation of many 
     advocacy organizations;
       Whereas, on June 27-28, 1970, members of the LGBTQ 
     community commemorated the first anniversary of Stonewall and 
     reaffirmed the solidarity of the LGBTQ community by 
     organizing the first Pride marches, or gatherings, in New 
     York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles;
       Whereas the Stonewall uprising is remembered and celebrated 
     every year in June during ``LGBTQ Pride Month'';
       Whereas in June 2016 the Stonewall Inn and its surrounding 
     area was declared a national monument, becoming the first 
     national monument to commemorate the LGBTQ civil rights 
     movement;
       Whereas WorldPride will be held in June 2019 for the first 
     time in the United States in New York City to commemorate the 
     Stonewall uprising, bringing representatives of the global 
     LGBTQ community to recognize these historic events;
       Whereas on May 30, 2019, New York City announced that it 
     would dedicate a monument honoring pioneering transgender 
     activists and key leaders in the Stonewall uprising, Marsha 
     P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, the first permanent public 
     monument in the world honoring transgender women;
       Whereas on June 6, 2019, the NYPD officially apologized for 
     the raid on the Stonewall Inn;
       Whereas, despite the progress made since the Stonewall 
     uprising, members of the LGBTQ community have experienced 
     biased policing and are still at significant risk of violence 
     and discrimination;
       Whereas, according to the annual hate crimes report 
     published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, LGBTQ 
     individuals, particularly LGBTQ individuals of color, 
     continue to be the target of bias-motivated violence, and 
     efforts to address this violence may be hindered by a 
     continued lack of trust in law enforcement;
       Whereas not less than 100 transgender individuals, 
     primarily women of color, have been murdered in the United 
     States since the beginning of 2015; and
       Whereas no individual in the United States should have to 
     fear being the target of violence because of who they are or 
     who they love: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall 
     uprising;
       (2) condemns violence and discrimination against members of 
     the LGBTQ community and recommits itself to securing justice,

[[Page S4638]]

     equality, and well-being for LGBTQ individuals; and
       (3) commends the bravery, solidarity, and resiliency of the 
     LGBTQ community in the face of violence and discrimination, 
     both past and present.

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