[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 104 (Thursday, June 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4177-S4178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise today in recognition of the 54th 
anniversary of Pride Month. I would first like to take a moment to 
acknowledge how much progress has been made in the span of just a half 
century.
  The first Pride was born out of the Stonewall Uprising, which took 
place in 1969 after police conducted a violent raid at the Stonewall 
Inn, a New York City bar known as a place of refuge for members of the 
LGBTQ+ community. The raid and the ensuing riot in response nearly 
destroyed the Stonewall Inn and sparked a series of protests against 
the police's brutality that night.
  In the face of such violence and discrimination, a group of gay 
rights organizers responded by commemorating the first anniversary of 
the uprising with a march to celebrate the resilience of the LGBTQ+ 
community. Five decades later, we continue to strive toward equality 
and inclusion for this community in all aspects of life. While we have 
many victories to celebrate, such as the 2015 Supreme Court Obergefell 
decision guaranteeing marriage equality, we still have much to do.
  I am proud to represent a State that is known to be welcoming to 
members of the LGBTQ+ community. Last year, Maryland Governor Wes Moore 
issued an executive order to protect access to gender-affirming care, a 
huge win for transgender and nonbinary Marylanders.
  This year, Maryland is hosting over a dozen local Pride parades and 
celebrations, from Hagerstown to Salisbury and everywhere in between. 
And this past weekend, we celebrated Pride in my home city of 
Baltimore, which has one of the longest running Pride celebrations in 
the nation.
  However, I am dismayed by a growing movement across the country to 
suppress the rights of LGBTQ+ people and reverse our Nation's hard-won 
progress. We have a responsibility to uphold the rights and freedoms of 
all Americans. Therefore, we must not stand by idly as legislative 
attacks on this community increase across the country. Laws that aim to 
codify hate and discrimination are despicable. We must challenge this 
hate not only with our hearts, but through the proactive protection of 
civil rights.
  In particular, we must defend transgender children, their parents, 
and the right to access gender-affirming care and other support 
services.
  There have been recent efforts by some Members of Congress to use the 
annual appropriations bill as a vehicle to ban the use of Federal funds 
for gender-affirming care and DEI initiatives. I urge my colleagues to 
remember the commitment we have to our Nation to ensure liberty and 
justice for all. Attacks on personal autonomy that use the mantle of 
religious freedom to

[[Page S4178]]

sanction official discrimination are unacceptable. In 2024, we as the 
U.S. Congress must rebuke these efforts not only with words, but with 
action.
  The energy with which an alarming number of local and State 
legislators craft legislation that targets transgender individuals 
should be channeled into other efforts that would help, not harm, our 
people.
  I am proud to support several pieces of legislation that would expand 
LGBTQ+ individuals' access to a wide range of resources and 
protections. I am particularly proud to be a cosponsor of Senator 
Murray's Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act. We hear a lot of talk about 
the importance of protecting our children but have yet to take serious 
action to hold so-called ``conversion therapy providers'' accountable 
for abuse and fraud.
  The scientific literature increasingly agrees that ``conversion 
therapy,'' which claims to be able to change a person's sexual or 
gender identity through various interventions, simply does not work.
  Furthermore, these practices are strongly associated with adverse 
mental health effects, such as anxiety, depression, and suicide, in 
people who have been through conversion programs. With Senator Murray's 
Bill, we can--and will--prevent further traumatization of our LGBTQ+ 
youth and their families.
  Another bill I am proud to support is the bipartisan Safe Schools 
Improvement Act, led by Senator Casey, that would ensure K-12 students 
across America could receive age-appropriate education to prevent all 
forms of bullying and harassment. Bullying can lead to tragic outcomes 
like the loss of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died this March 
after being severely bullied at school for their gender identity.
  We already know statistically that LGBTQ+ children and teens across 
America are at disproportionate risk of depression, anxiety, and 
suicidality. Instead of enabling the discrimination that is so damaging 
to our kids' mental health, we should be working to turn those 
statistics around so that more children, like Nex, get the chance to 
grow up and pursue their dreams.
  Eradicating homophobia in our Nation starts with an honest education 
on the past and present of the LGBTQ+ community. Senator Casey's bill 
presents an opportunity to protect our youth from ignorance and its 
dire consequences.
  I am also proud to cosponsor the Equality Act, offered by Senator 
Merkley. This legislation would prohibit discrimination based on sex, 
sexual orientation, or gender identify with respect to businesses, 
employment, housing, federally funded programs, and other settings.
  All Americans should be treated equally under the law--no matter who 
they love or how they identify. LGBTQ+ individuals deserve to be 
afforded every right and protection granted to their neighbors. Members 
of this community should feel safe enough to be themselves and are 
entitled to the respect and recognition we expect for every human 
being.
  I am a proud ally who will continue to fight all forms of attack 
against the LGBTQ+ community. No hate crimes or State-sanctioned 
discrimination will ever be tolerated by myself, and I expect the same 
of my colleagues and fellow Americans. The U.S. Senate must challenge 
intolerance and safeguard civil rights for LGBTQ+ individuals 
everywhere.
  Our Nation must not allow individual opinions to derail the right to 
dignity to which every American is entitled. It is imperative the 
United States of America uphold the values of tolerance, compassion, 
and freedom upon which we claim to stand.
  And we certainly cannot overshadow the bravery, joy, and resistance 
to societal regression that so many LGBTQ+ individuals and activists 
have demonstrated. I am committed to growing Federal support and 
increasing resources to safeguard civil rights for this community. I 
believe that I have an obligation, not just as a Senator from Maryland, 
but as a human being, to do so. And I look forward to continuing to 
work, not just this Pride Month but every day of the year, toward 
equality for all.

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