[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 46 (Friday, March 10, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1260-H1261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              OREGON FIGHTS FOR THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY

  (Ms. SALINAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to send an unequivocal, simple

[[Page H1261]]

message to the transgender community: We have your back.
  The dangerous rhetoric we have seen across the country--including in 
this very body--in the last week is nothing short of reprehensible, and 
I for one will not allow this hateful and vitriolic rhetoric to go 
unanswered.
  Transgender people don't need to be changed, criminalized, or 
eradicated. They need to be loved, they need to be supported, and they 
need to be able to look to their leaders in Washington and trust that 
we will protect their rights to live freely and safely, just as we 
would any other person in America.
  Oregon has consistently led the way in the fight for transgender 
rights, and I am so proud to be from a State that prizes support over 
suspicion, compassion over culture wars, and humanity over hatred.
  In Oregon we say gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, nonbinary, two 
spirits, queer, intersex, and asexual.
  Oregon is proof that we can be better than this, and for the sake of 
the transgender community we must be.

                          ____________________