[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E598-E599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN SUPPORT OF LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH AND HOUSTON PRIDE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 1, 2021

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate LGBTQ Pride 
Month and the remarkable progress that has been made in making our 
country more diverse and tolerant and embracing of differences in the 
21 years since the cruel murder of Matthew Shepherd, a college student 
from Laramie, Wyoming.
  As a country, America has made and continues to make great progress 
in the area of social equality, as evidenced most dramatically by the 
seismic shift in public support for marriage equality over the past 
decade.
  Today, supporters of marriage equality dramatically outnumber 
opponents by 61 percent to 35 percent; a near total reversal from 2004, 
when opponents outnumbered supporters 58 to 39 percent.
  Our country made progress in bringing our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, 
mother and fathers out of the shadows with the repeal of ``Don't Ask, 
Don't Tell,'' which I was proud to support.
  Our Nation is now stronger, and our people are safer thanks to the 
sacrifices made by these brave Americans, who no longer need to choose 
between service and silence.
  There have been other changes for the better.
  In April 2015, President Obama issued a landmark Executive Order 
prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ persons in the workplace.
  This civil rights victory ensures the tax dollars used to pay 
government contractors support contractors that are committed to equal 
employment opportunity for all persons regardless of sexual 
orientation.
  This legislation marks a major shift from a time when the U.S. Civil 
Service Commission prohibited the hiring of LGBTQ persons to a time 
when President Biden has appointed, and the Senate confirmed 
overwhelmingly, a Secretary of Transportation who is a veteran, a 
former mayor, and an openly gay man.
  And we are making progress in realizing the goal of making H.R. 5, 
the ``Equality Act,'' the law of the land so LGBTQ people will finally 
be guaranteed explicit, permanent protection under the nation's 
existing civil rights laws against discrimination in vital areas of 
life, like employment, access to public spaces, housing, credit, 
education, jury service, and federally-funded programs.
  Madam Speaker, it is unacceptable that in 31 states LGBTQ people can 
get married on Sunday and remain at risk of being fired or evicted. on 
Monday simply because of who they are.
  This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the LGBTQ Civil Rights 
Movement, where activists such as Frank Kameny led the struggle for the 
voices of the LGBTQ community to be heard.
  Frank Kameny's courageous demonstrations inspired others to resist 
mistreatment, and we witnessed in 1969 what happens when a community 
says enough is enough.

[[Page E599]]

  Our country has made much progress since the Stonewall uprising of 
1969 but more remains to be done to realize the full promise of America 
that all are equally treated and protected by the law.
  So there is much reason for joy and optimism when my home city of 
Houston hosts the Ruby Anniversary celebration of Pride Week later this 
month, from June 25 to 28, 2021.
  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the 16th largest LGBTQ community 
in the Nation is located in the Houston metropolitan area, which I am 
privileged to represent.
  The Houston LGBTQ community is culturally diverse, economically 
dynamic, and artistically vibrant.
  Houston Pride Week has been an annual event for the last 42 years, 
since 1979, and promotes the individuality of Houston's ever-growing 
LGBTQ community.
  The Pride Festival and Parade are at the center of a celebration 
annually attended by more than 700,000 people from Houston and around 
the world.
  Madam Speaker, as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us, 
``Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate 
cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.''
  All Americans should be deeply concerned over the increase in 
violence and acts of hate perpetrated against members of the LGBTQ 
community we have witnessed in recent months.
  Madam Speaker, I invite all Americans to visit Houston during Houston 
Pride Week to observe how we live out our conviction that ``Love Will 
Conquer Hate.''
  Progress is made through the efforts of courageous men and women who 
actively engage their communities and face adversity to ensure that the 
rights of all are clearly recognized and protected.
  People like the legendary Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1947 
Journey of Reconciliation which inspired the Freedom Rides of the 1960s 
and helped Dr. King organize the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference and who was the driving force behind the historic 1963 March 
on Washington.
  Texas natives such as Sheryl Swoopes, a 3-time WNBA Most Valuable 
Player and champion for the Houston Comets, and former Houston Mayor 
Annise Parker.
  These leaders have set an example of what can happen when we lift the 
limits of inequality and support our fellow Americans in their pursuits 
of their inalienable rights.
  Other members of the LGBTQ community whose contributions have 
enriched American culture and made our country better include the great 
poet Langston Hughes; Mandy Carter, 2008 national co-chair of Obama 
Pride and lifelong activist; Billy Strayhorn the musician and gifted 
composer whose 30-year collaboration with Duke Ellington gave the world 
some of the greatest jazz music ever; Tom Waddell, army medical doctor 
and Olympic athlete; and James Baldwin, one of the towering figures in 
the history of American literature.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to acknowledge the achievements of just a 
few of the countless number of Americans who overcame prejudice and 
discrimination to make America a more welcoming place for succeeding 
generations of LGBTQ community members.