[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 139 (Tuesday, August 27, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1073-E1074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE NORTH AMERICAN GAY AMATEUR ATHLETIC ALLIANCE GAY 
             SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 27, 2019

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to celebrate the 
North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) Gay Softball 
World Series this year being held in Kansas City, Missouri. On behalf 
of myself and Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, we are honored 
and overjoyed to have been selected as the 2019 host of the Gay 
Softball World Series.
  In 1977, teams of athletes from New York and San Francisco, met to 
form the organization that would become NAGAAA and organize the 
inaugural Gay Softball World Series. Today, over four decades later, 
the NAGAAA is an international sports organization committed to 
providing and promoting opportunities for LGBTQ+ communities to 
participate in amateur athletics across the United States and Canada. 
In 2019, more than one thousand NAGAAA teams competed across seven 
divisions of play in forty-six cities throughout North America. The 
organization is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment 
where its athletes can compete and be themselves.
  Kansas City has a longstanding tradition of LGBTQ+ activism and 
advocacy, which was kindled in 1966 when the city hosted the National 
Planning Conference of Homophile Organizations. After the conference, 
the city became a leader on the national stage for the movement for 
LGBTQ+ civil rights, spearheaded by the Phoenix Society for Individual 
Freedom. The Phoenix Society for Individual Freedom was committed to 
``improving the legal, social, and economic status'' of members of the 
LGBTQ+ community while providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ Kansas Citians 
to live freely. In the face of discrimination and inequality, LGBTQ+ 
individuals found refuge and community in Kansas City.
  Kansas City, with its history of championing LGBTQ+ rights and 
culture, is extremely proud that the NAGAAA selected us to host the Gay 
Softball World Series this year. Today, Kansas City continues to be a 
metropolis of LGBTQ+ culture nationwide. Through cornerstone 
institutions such as the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, Empowering 
Queer Activists and Leaders (EQUAL), and the Mid-America Gay and 
Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, to name a few, the city fosters a 
welcoming and supportive atmosphere for the uplifting of LGBTQ+ 
individuals. LGBTQ+ arts thrive in Kansas City as well via the 
Heartland Men's Chorus, performances at Hamburger Mary's and Missie 
B's, and at the annual KC LGBT Film Festival. In April, the AIDS Walk 
of Kansas City is held to raise awareness for the disease, and in June, 
the entire city celebrates

[[Page E1074]]

Pride. As a proud host of the Gay Softball World Series, Kansas City 
looks forward to continuing its rich history of supporting the LGBTQ+ 
community.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring the North American Gay 
Amateur Athletic Alliance for their admirable work with the LGBTQ+ 
community nationwide and celebrating the 2019 Gay Softball World Series 
in Kansas City. We are indebted to the NAGAAA which has changed the 
lives of LGBTQ+ individuals for the past forty-two years and left an 
indelible mark on our country and communities.

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