[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 110 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 24, 2021

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I'm proud to join my fellow members of the 
Equality Caucus in celebrating Pride Month and the progress our country 
has made in securing equal rights for all, regardless of sexual 
orientation or gender identity. As we recognize our progress, we must 
keep fighting because the LGBTQ+ community has yet to be granted full 
equality.
  Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall Uprising, the now-famous 
targeting of the gay community at the Stonewall Inn by police in New 
York City in June 1969. In the subsequent four decades since Stonewall, 
LGBTQ+ individuals can serve openly in the military, same-sex couples 
can wed, and the Supreme Court has upheld certain federal laws 
prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and 
gender identity.
  Much work remains to be done. Transgender individuals still face high 
levels of violence. Federal, state, and local laws still allow many 
forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender 
identity. And just last week in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the 
Supreme Court found that anti-LGBTQ+ religious objections can override 
a government agency's policies to ensure equality. While the case 
focused on same-sex couples adopting children, it could have much 
broader ramifications.
  For all these reasons, I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 
5, the Equality Act, which extends anti-discrimination provisions in 
federal law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual 
orientation and gender identity. I'm proud that the House passed this 
legislation on a bipartisan vote of 224 to 206 on February 25, 2021. I 
urge the Senate to take up this legislation and send it to the 
President's desk as soon as possible.
  As we celebrate Pride Month, let us also remember the victims of 
anti-LGBTQ+ hate, mourn the loss of countless loved ones whose lives 
were lost in the battle against HIV/AIDS, and reaffirm our commitment 
to fighting for an America where all are equal, no matter their gender 
identity or sexual orientation.

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