[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 108 (Thursday, June 27, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4400-H4405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              PRIDE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. It is an honor to host this Special Order hour in 
collaboration with the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the 
Congressional Equality Caucus. As Congress' first out person of color, 
it is an honor to lead this time on the floor.
  As we near the end of Pride Month, it is important to celebrate the 
LGBTQ+ community's contributions to our country, our fight for equal 
rights, and the work that still has to be done.
  I am proud to be joined by several of my colleagues in this House, 
and I appreciate their commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.
  Last year, I was joined by Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the co-chairs of 
the Congressional Equality Caucus, and the LGBTQ+ activists to 
reintroduce the Equality Act. We stood together in solidarity and on 
the shoulders of many pioneers of the LGBTQ+ movement to demand equal 
protections for LGBTQ+ people. Former Congressman David Cicilline 
entrusted me with this landmark piece of legislation that would 
prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender 
identity, and I take that responsibility very seriously.
  The Equality Act was passed twice under the leadership of Speaker 
Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and today it has the support of every House 
Democrat.
  The story of LGBTQ+ equality is not complete without the passage of 
this legislation. From the Stonewall riots in 1969 to protest the over-
policing and criminalization of the LGBTQ community, to the lives lost 
to the AIDS crisis, to the heroes of this movement like Marsha P. 
Johnson and Harvey Milk, our community has endured adversity, 
prejudice, and bigotry.
  Unfortunately, the ugliness of hatred persists. Discrimination 
against LGBTQ+ people is still active, and violence against more 
vulnerable members of our community is increasing.
  The Equality Act would send a message to all LGBTQ+ Americans that 
their government wants to ensure their dignified existence while 
honoring those who came before us. In a political moment where the 
LGBTQ+ community is used to stoke fear and distrust, the Equality Act 
stands as a way to unite us under principles that this country was 
founded: liberty and justice for all.
  I am proud to come to the floor to during Pride Month to highlight 
this legislation and to send a message to not only the LGBTQ+ people 
who are living as their authentic selves and who have enjoyed the 
celebrations and festivities that this month has to offer but, also, 
those who, for whatever reason, cannot live or love in a way that is 
true to themselves out of fear of retaliation.
  To those individuals, I want to say: you are not alone, and you have 
allies in places you may not expect. You have allies in the nine out 
Members of the House of Representatives, and you have allies in all of 
the vice chairs and members of the Congressional Equality Caucus.

                              {time}  1715

  We cannot wait for the day when LGBTQ+ people don't have to make the 
impossible choice of choosing safety over living authentically. While I 
cannot remedy every situation or make every American understand the 
fear many LGBTQ+ people live in, I can ensure the Federal Government 
does not stand in their way.
  That is why we need the Equality Act, for dignity for a group that 
has historically been suppressed and continues to be the target of 
attacks.

[[Page H4401]]

  We will not stop until this goal is achieved. We will not go back. We 
will keep fighting.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia), a 
deputy whip for the Progressive Caucus and Equality Caucus member, as 
well.
  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, today, I rise in celebration 
of Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community and to raise awareness on 
National HIV Testing Day.
  Queer, Latino, and Black communities have been disproportionately 
impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and continue to make up the majority 
of newly diagnosed people compared to their White counterparts.
  For many, this disparity is compounded by obstacles like poor 
transportation access, language barriers, racial discrimination in 
healthcare, lack of family support, and the fears of deportation if 
they seek treatment, to name a few.
  Make no mistake, comprehensive and inclusive care is a matter of life 
and death for our communities. While we celebrate the resilience and 
beauty of the LGBTQ+ community, I am proud to join my Democratic 
colleagues in opposition to Republican attempts to gut funding for 
lifesaving HIV/AIDS programs and in solidarity with organizers fighting 
for a pro-equality agenda across America.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan 
(Ms. Tlaib), the vice chair for member services for the Progressive 
Caucus and also an Equality Caucus member.
  Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, there is a mental health crisis among our 
LGBTQ+ youth in our country. Far too many of our young people are 
struggling right now to access the care they need and deserve.
  We know that rightwing politicians, including many in this Chamber, 
continue to carry out relentless attacks, just unbelievable attacks, on 
our LGBTQ+ people and push for discriminatory policies. This constant 
fear-mongering, rejection, and discrimination have real human 
consequences.
  According to the Trevor Project, nearly half of our LGBTQ+ youth have 
seriously considered suicide in the past year alone. At least one of 
them attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
  This is the heartbreaking reality that we are facing, so our words 
matter. The bills that we introduce matter.
  These young people, like all people regardless of how they identify 
or who they love, deserve the opportunity to grow up and to live with 
human dignity and equal rights free from discrimination.
  Our fight for LGBTQ+ rights is connected to our fight for human 
dignity for marginalized people everywhere. We must pass the Equality 
Act to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination at work, in housing, 
and in public accommodations and guarantee them equal protection under 
the law.
  Madam Speaker, we must also pass legislation that increases access to 
mental health care like the Pride in Mental Health Act, which would 
fund mental health resources, training for our caregivers, school 
bullying prevention, and more.
  To my residents in 12 District Strong, your Congresswoman sees you 
and loves you. I will continue fighting for the collective liberation 
of all of our people.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Vermont 
(Ms. Balint), the Equality Caucus co-chair and Progressive Caucus vice 
chair for new members.
  Ms. BALINT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to start with a reflection.
  When I was in high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I 
wanted to go into politics. I was good in front of a room. I loved 
talking about policy. I wanted to make a real difference in the lives 
of Americans. It was so clear. I knew my path.
  I also thought that was just a pipe dream because, first of all, I 
knew nobody in my family had ever run for office. I didn't know the 
first thing about doing that, but I also knew at that time in high 
school, I had no role models for how to serve as an openly gay leader, 
a politician, so I put that away.
  I actually didn't run for office until I was in my forties because I 
didn't see a way forward. There was just so much homophobia, so much 
vitriol from within my community, sometimes within my own family.
  I want to reflect on the fact it is incredible that I am standing 
here today in this Chamber, the House of Representatives, as the first 
woman ever to represent Vermont in Congress, as the first openly LGBTQ 
person to represent my State in Congress. I never imagined that I would 
be here. I take it very seriously that I am a leader for all 
Vermonters, regardless of how they identify.
  Pride--which is what this month is about--is about celebrating love. 
It is about celebrating families of all kinds, including my own. I have 
a wife and two teenagers. It is about celebrating the joy that comes 
from living your authentic self and making genuine connections with 
other people.
  Pride is also a reminder that we must remember the history that 
brought us here today, of the political struggle that secured so many 
of our rights, and also the path we still must walk in order to get to 
true equality.
  Earlier today, I spoke in the Oversight Committee. I was waived onto 
that committee to talk about some of the really horrible rhetoric that 
has become all too commonplace in our committees and on the floor of 
the House of Representatives.
  I know because I feel it, too. I know so many of us are feeling quite 
down about the state of the world and discouraged about the battles 
that we have fought. We thought we had that discrimination behind us. 
We thought the hateful and hurtful rhetoric was something in the past.
  I get it. We, as members of marginalized communities, understand the 
despair. We understand why it is so exhausting to think about having to 
fight these battles over again, but we do not have the luxury of losing 
hope or giving in to cynicism. As I say often, cynicism is the voice of 
the status quo. Cynicism tells you nothing can change, so, therefore, 
why even try.
  I can say that I have been shocked at the constant attacks on my 
community that I have experienced in the last 1\1/2\ years in Congress, 
with the public debate and passage of so many dangerous anti-
transgender, anti-LGBTQ bills, amendments, and riders. There is this 
sense that somehow our words don't matter, that they don't have an 
impact, that it is just an amendment.
  I literally had people say to me in the hallway that they don't 
really believe this stuff, that they don't really hate gay people. That 
doesn't matter if what they do in the end is vote for those hateful 
amendments and riders in bills. My colleagues' actions matter.
  It is not enough to say to me privately, hey, I know you, know you 
are a good person, and you know I don't mean you. That doesn't matter 
if what they do in the end is vote against my rights and freedoms and, 
more than that, demonize me within my community and, as the 
Representative from Michigan just said, contribute to the mental health 
crisis that so many youth in my community suffer from.
  We can't allow our elected officials and leaders to continue to 
demonize and dehumanize other Americans, other Americans who have the 
rights that all Americans have to live their lives free from 
discrimination, to go to work and not have to face discrimination at 
work, to serve on a jury, and to be treated with dignity and respect. 
That is all we are asking.
  We thought that the work was behind us because we are your friends, 
neighbors, and family members, and we have already fought these 
battles. The sky didn't fall when we passed civil unions in Vermont. 
The sky didn't fall when we passed same-sex marriage. The sky didn't 
fall when we passed antidiscrimination legislation.
  All the terrible things that were going to come to pass by treating 
people with dignity, respect, and love, and affording them the same 
freedoms as everyone else in this country--the sky did not fall. We are 
still here. We are still a strong democracy.
  The consistent stream of hate is a reminder that whenever you make 
progress, and my colleague here knows it so well, the backlash comes. 
We are in the midst of a furious backlash.
  We cannot allow the attacks to go unchallenged. We must go toe to toe 
in committee after committee, debate after debate on the floor. We 
cannot normalize the dehumanizing rhetoric, the fear-mongering, the 
hatred.
  We must every day call attention to the fact that what is happening 
in the

[[Page H4402]]

most powerful body in this country is that people are using their 
political platform to demonize and dehumanize and spread hatred and 
fear of other Americans who are worthy of dignity, respect, and 
freedom.
  I hear from so many young people, both in my State and here on the 
Hill, people who work in this building, people who come to advocate on 
behalf of organizations and policies they believe in. They say: Thank 
you so much, Congresswoman, for being out about who you are and being 
open about your family because it is still really hard to live a life 
full of joy and promise in many pockets of this country.
  We risk lives when we don't stand up clearly and loudly against 
discrimination against trans people, against queer people, against 
people who are just different. We have forgotten that everyone in our 
community, regardless of gender identity, regardless of background, is 
worthy of dignity and respect and should be afforded the same freedoms 
and rights as every other American.
  We must be loud, and we must not give an inch. That is why we are 
here tonight. We are not going back. It doesn't matter how many 
amendments you bring up, how many riders, or how many bills that are 
attacking our community. We are not going back.

                              {time}  1730

  We are not going back into the closet. We are not going to stop being 
who we are. We are not going to stop showing up with courage and 
dignity and love, not just for ourselves, but for all the young people 
who are watching us, who see their leaders demonizing them, who tune in 
to C-SPAN and tune in to committee hearings and they say: I can't 
believe they are spending their time attacking our community again when 
all we want is to live a life of dignity and freedom. Why are they 
spending their time on this?
  I have to say: I don't know. I don't know.
  This month is about loving and living. That is what this is. This is 
life-affirming. Pride is about saying: We are here. We are your 
friends. We are your neighbors. We are your family members, and we 
deserve dignity and respect.
  I remind my community out there: You be you. Keep being you. Keep 
being yourself. When we reach our full potential as humans, it does 
make the world a better place. It makes our communities more rich.
  I tell you this because I know my 11-year-old self needed to hear 
that. I needed to hear that from the adults in my life and the leaders. 
My 11-year-old self was worried that just being me, just having my 
identity would limit what I would be able to do in life, which is why I 
didn't run for office until my forties.
  I knew at 17 that I wanted to serve my community, but I felt limited 
because of the homophobia and because of the hatred. I worried that my 
family would not love me. I worried that I would never be accepted in 
school because those were the messages. I worried and feared that I 
would lose friends, and I did.
  Today, we have to remember where we have come from, and we cannot 
allow the rhetoric to continue in this body because it isn't just about 
the bills that we pass or don't pass. It is about the messages that we 
are sending to people across this country. Are we a Nation that 
believes that everyone is entitled to dignity and respect and humanity, 
or are we going to become a Nation that continues to scapegoat those in 
our communities that, for some reason, we don't understand?
  I am here as a Member of Congress. I am here as a parent. I am here 
as a former teacher. It is the honor of my life to serve my State in 
the U.S. House of Representatives. I could not be more proud, and I am 
going to use my voice to stand up for any community that is in danger 
of having its rights taken away from it.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Vermont, and 
I thank her for her most powerful and righteous voice.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), 
my good friend, a member of the Equality Caucus and a strong advocate 
for LGBTQ+ equality, and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Takano 
for all that he does in upholding human rights and civil rights for 
everyone in this country, regardless of what your sexual inclination 
might be.
  When you really stop and think about it, we should be beyond judging 
each other based on who we love. That is why I am so happy to say happy 
Pride Month to all people out there because none of us are free if any 
of us are not free.
  It heartens me this day and time, 2024, when we see a polling that 
shows that about 8 percent of adults in this country identify as LGBTQ. 
The reason why it is not more is because we have been conditioned and 
people are afraid to say who they are because, the older that you get, 
the more you have to lose by revealing who you are.
  I will say it is also heartening that, in 2024, among the millennial 
generation, 30 percent of our millennials identify as LGBTQ. What that 
tells you is that, first of all, the older folks have made it such that 
the young people feel more comfortable in identifying as who they are. 
They are not steeped in how much I can lose if I come out.
  They are young enough to not have anything to lose by coming out. It 
is actually so much healthier for them than it has been for the older 
people, who have tried to hide, who have felt the need to hide who they 
are and go through life unhappy and go through life miserable.
  People should not have to live like that. We should be free. People 
should be free to be who they are. That is what Pride Month is all 
about, is people being able to come out and say that this is who I am. 
I love me for being me, and I love you for being you, even though you 
may have a different sexual inclination than I have.
  When we allow license to hatred in our lives, first it starts with: I 
don't like the Blacks. Then it goes to: I don't like the Jews. Then I 
don't like people who keep their hair cut short because they look like 
Nazis. Then it becomes: I don't like short people. I don't like people 
who like dogs.
  The more that you allow hate and license hate in your heart, the 
easier it becomes for you to hate people who are different than you.
  What gives you the authority to judge someone? What gives you the 
authority to hate on someone and to act in that way? It is just not 
human. The more we become human, the more we begin to love people for 
who they are and to recognize that they, regardless of their 
differences from me, are equal to me.
  Pride Month is all about people feeling good about themselves. It is 
all about challenging folks who have hatred in their heart to remove 
that hatred, and it is all about sending the message that the march for 
humanity will continue regardless of whether or not you keep hating or 
not.
  I will say I am happy to stand with my LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters 
throughout this country and the world. I am happy to stand with you in 
this month, which is Pride Month. Happy Pride Month.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Johnson) for his kind and warm and righteous words.
  Madam Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Gottheimer), my friend and a member of the Equality Caucus, a strong 
advocate for LGBTQ+ equality.
  Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. 
Happy Pride to all.
  Madam Speaker, I rise tonight in support of LGBTQ+ equality, a domain 
in which we have made so much progress. I am so grateful for that, but 
we have a long way to go.
  I thank Congressman Takano for his phenomenal leadership, his 
friendship, what he does on the Equality Caucus as co-chair, and what 
he does in the Halls of Congress every day, standing up to hatred, 
fighting for doing right and for, of course, coordinating tonight's 
Pride Month Special. I thank the gentleman so much.
  Yesterday was Equality Day, the anniversary of three Supreme Court 
decisions that transformed LGBTQ+ rights here in our great country: 
Lawrence v. Texas, U.S. v. Windsor, and Obergefell v. Hodges. In just 
over two decades, we made a century's worth of progress, unbelievable 
progress in a short period of time, decriminalizing homosexuality and 
guaranteeing marriage equality nationally.

[[Page H4403]]

  Yet, in the midst of this monumental progress, there are forces here 
in the Halls of Congress and in State legislatures across our country 
that want to pull us backward and go after Americans for who they love.
  So far this year, the ACLU is tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in our 
State legislatures, embedding hate and cruelty into the letter of their 
laws. LGBTQ+ rights are personal for me, as they are for many people in 
Congress and for Americans across our country. For the sake of our 
brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and friends, we can't, and we won't 
let extremists roll back the clock on the great progress we have made.
  The monumental progress I highlighted just a minute ago originated in 
the courts, but it really came from the country, in homes, in 
communities, and people realizing that it is the right thing to do to 
make sure people can love who they want and live their lives.
  I am deeply grateful the courts made the decisions on marriage 
equality, but we can't rely on the whims of Supreme Court Justices. We 
need to make these victories permanent through Congress.
  That is why, in 2022, I helped pass the bipartisan, bicameral Respect 
for Marriage Act, which enshrines marriage equality into Federal law. 
We can and must do the same when it comes to discrimination on the 
basis of sexual orientation.
  I am incredibly proud to be a member of the Equality Caucus and a 
cosponsor of the Equality Act, which will ban this discrimination 
outright. We have now passed the Equality Act twice through the House. 
I urge House leadership to bring it up for a vote once again.
  Equal treatment isn't a partisan issue. We can send a message of 
acceptance to our country by sending this bill to the President's desk. 
This is a place where we can work together and come together.
  Finally, we must stop the mistreatment of our LGBTQ+ community. That 
is why I am introducing the Elder Pride Protection Act with 
Congresswoman Angie Craig of Minnesota, an Equality Caucus co-chair, 
which will combat the runaway abuse facing LGBTQ+ seniors across our 
country. It is a real issue. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this critical legislation.
  Let's never forget the words of the heart of our country found in the 
Declaration of Independence: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, 
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator 
with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, 
and the pursuit of Happiness.''
  The best way that we can move forward and live up to the Founders' 
vision is by standing for LGBTQ+ equality and happiness. I mean 
equality for everybody here in the greatest country in the world. I 
know that, if we do that and stand together and work together, our best 
days will always be ahead of us.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman once again for yielding.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Gottheimer) for his commitment and the spirit which he brings to 
fighting for justice for LGBTQ people. Happy Pride to the gentleman.
  Madam Speaker, I wish to turn my attention toward the world and the 
international stage. LGBTQ+ issues continue to be the topic of public 
debate globally. In every corner of the world, there has been movement, 
both good and bad. We have seen the struggle in many nations in the 
fight for equality and dignity.
  On a very positive note, we see in the nation of Greece the 
legalization of same-sex marriage, making Greece the first Christian 
Orthodox country to pass such a measure.
  Taiwan is making historic strides toward equal rights for the LGBTQ+ 
community. In 2019, on the International Day Against Homophobia, 
Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia, Taiwan became the first country 
in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
  Then, this past year, legislators from Taiwan extended the same-sex 
marriage act to grant adoption rights to LGBTQ+ couples. Now both 
individuals who are part of a same-sex couple with children are able to 
be acknowledged as legal guardians and can experience the parental 
rights enjoyed by all other couples.

                              {time}  1745

  This past October, Taiwan celebrated Pride with over 175,000 
onlookers from all over the world gathering in Taipei to join the 
march. This year's theme was ``stand with diversity,'' which sought to 
recognize the diversity of every person and respect different gender 
identities.
  In January, Taiwan elected its first openly gay legislator, but the 
most promising sign of LGBTQ+ equality came earlier this month from 
Thailand when legislators approved a marriage equality bill, a move 
that puts the country on a clear path to becoming the first nation in 
Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex couples.
  All of this is happening in the shadow of a more and more repressive 
People's Republic of China. The state authorities have continually 
targeted LGBTQ+ individuals and cracked down on pro-equality 
organizers. These groups lack legal support and are at the whims of an 
authoritarian regime that seeks to diminish and eliminate LGBTQ+ 
people. No person should live in fear because of their gender identity 
or who they love, and it is imperative that we protect the rights for 
LGBTQ+ people globally and hold governments with this anti-equality 
agenda accountable.
  I commend Taiwan for their championing of equality for their LGBTQ+ 
citizens. It sets the example for other countries in Asia and across 
the world that have yet to support freedom and equality for our 
community.
  Madam Speaker, I will make a side note here that while I share my 
Republican colleagues' concern about the authoritarianism of Xi Jinping 
and the CCP, I have yet to see my Republican colleagues rise in 
indignation about the way in which the regime of China treats its 
LGBTQ+ citizens.
  Recent events in Uganda have cast a harsh light on the global 
struggle for LGBTQ+ rights, and it is our moral duty to speak out 
against the draconian laws that criminalize same-sex relationships in 
that country.
  More than a year ago, Uganda enacted one of the world's harshest 
anti-LGBTQ laws, criminalizing same-sex conduct with punishments that 
include life imprisonment and even the death penalty for aggravated 
homosexuality, whatever that might mean.
  Sadly, the law was recently upheld by the nation's highest court. 
This law is not just a legal measure; it is an instrument of hate and 
repression, designed to persecute and dehumanize a segment of society 
simply for being who they are.
  As someone who has experienced both the triumphs and challenges of 
being openly gay in public life, I can tell you that laws like these do 
more than legislate against behavior. They legitimize prejudice, foster 
environments of fear, and justify violence. They rip apart families, 
drive people into hiding, and erode the fundamental principles of 
equality and human rights.
  We simply cannot and must not look away. Silence in the face of such 
opposition is complicity. We must use our voices, our platforms, and 
our influence to condemn these injustices and support those who are 
fighting for their right to love and live openly and freely in Uganda 
and around the world.
  That is why I introduced a resolution condemning this recent 
regression of LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda. I look forward to my colleagues' 
support on this measure and to send a message to the LGBTQ+ community 
in Uganda that they are seen, that they are heard, and that they are 
not alone.
  Madam Speaker, I also extend my comments to praise the Biden 
administration, which has sent a clear message to LGBTQ+ Americans that 
they deserve to live safely and with dignity.
  Buried in the 2022 Dobbs decision that stripped women of their 
reproductive rights was an ominous and dangerous warning from the 
Justices that marriage equality may be next. Congress and the President 
were quick to act to protect equality by passing and signing the 
Respect for Marriage Act. Just imagine if we had a Commander in Chief 
who did not prioritize this sacred right.
  We know that 169 of my House Republican colleagues voted against it, 
and their agenda has not changed, but thanks to President Biden, 
marriage

[[Page H4404]]

for everyone is safe from an extremist conservative court that has 
repeatedly shown that decades of old precedents can be overturned with 
the stroke of a pen in pursuit of their ideological aims. House 
Democrats, Progressives, and President Biden will always protect the 
right for anyone to marry who they love.
  The President has also leveraged executive agencies to ensure that 
LGBTQ+ people are safe and healthy. President Biden has directed the 
Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland 
Security, and the Department of Justice to ensure that communities have 
the tools to curb violence against LGBTQ+ people.
  The President's goal of ending gun violence is something that will 
help all Americans, including to ensure the safety of LGBTQ+ people as 
they continue to be targeted based on who they love, what businesses 
they go to, or how they present. We all remember the tragedies and 
lives lost from bigotry and fueled by gun violence at Club Q in 
Colorado and Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
  Through Congress passing the Safer Communities Act and President 
Biden's establishment of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, 
Democrats are ensuring that our community is safe to live our lives 
authentically and with dignity.
  A part of living a dignified life is one where you don't have to 
worry about a doctor turning you away based on your identity. The Biden 
administration advanced civil rights protections for patients by 
barring health providers and insurers receiving Federal funding from 
discriminating against those seeking care on the basis of gender 
identity or sexual orientation.
  Reversing this Trump-era license to discriminate comes as LGBTQ+ 
people face unprecedented attacks on their right to healthcare.
  We have seen over 20 States across the country attempt to get in the 
middle of healthcare decisions concerning LGBTQ+ care, causing patients 
to move to States that do not have these hateful regulations or forego 
care altogether. This action from President Biden sends a clear 
message: No one should be denied care or coverage of care due to who 
they are or who they love.

  Even this week, the President continues to reconcile the harm caused 
to LGBTQ+ people in the military. He announced pardons for thousands of 
former servicemembers convicted of a crime under military law based on 
their sexual orientation. The effects of these convictions have blocked 
those who served our country their benefits that they have rightfully 
earned. This is a meaningful step forward for us coming to terms with 
the institutionalized discrimination, targeting, and repression of 
LGBTQ+ people in the uniformed services.
  This is a glimmer of hope in a political era when some of my 
Republican colleagues and many State governments across the country 
have put some of the most vulnerable among us in the LGBTQ+ community 
in their crosshairs. Attacks on trans youth, particularly those who 
want to participate in sports, are the new bogeyman of the far right. 
No student, athlete, or young person should be the target of attacks 
from Members of Congress because they are living as their authentic 
self.
  President Biden has responded to these attacks by strengthening Title 
IX protections. This update to Title IX stipulates protections from 
sex-based discrimination, which includes gender identity for the very 
first time.
  All of these actions recognize the dignity of LGBTQ+ people and the 
community, a group that has experienced relentless attacks from my 
Republican colleagues in Congress.
  We did not ask to be targets of the far right. We did not ask for our 
personal lives to be the topic of national debate. What we do ask for 
is respect and the privilege to live as we are without fear, something 
that non-LGBTQ people have never had to consider.
  I am proud to come to the floor today to highlight the things this 
administration has done, but our fight is not over until no one is 
targeted or retaliated against for being who they are. That is why the 
Equality Act needs to be taken up, passed, and signed by President 
Biden to take an even larger step into the future of true equality for 
everyone regardless of the ZIP Code in which they live.
  Madam Speaker, in the summer of 1974, I was glued to the television 
set in my grandfather's living room. My grandfather at the time lived 
across the street from where I lived. He was an immigrant grandfather. 
As we say in the Japanese language, his generation is known as the 
``issei'' or ``first generation.''
  I was watching on the public television station Representative 
Barbara Jordan give her remarks during the House Judiciary Committee's 
hearing on the Nixon impeachment. I believe I was 13 years old at the 
time.
  Her eloquent and impassioned speech on the solemn nature of 
impeachment and the role of Congress in those proceedings made a deep 
impact on me as it did for many others.
  She, in fact, became a national figure because of her role in giving 
her opening speech. She said in her very memorable speech that her 
``faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total.''
  Her conviction was present to all, and it made an indelible mark on 
me. It inspired me to pursue public service and it inspired me to study 
the art of wordsmithing and rhetoric with the hopes of one day having 
the same command of language that she did.
  That journey led me to pursue a career in education. I returned home 
to Riverside, California, and began teaching in the nearby community of 
Rialto Unified School District in 1988. Ask any teacher and they will 
say it is their students, the young, curious minds that inspire them to 
strive for greatness in and out of the classroom. This is the same in 
my story when my students approached me to start the very first gay-
straight alliance at that school.
  Their bravery and clarity of purpose inspired me to run for Congress 
for the third time in 2012. I had run for the first time in 1992 and 
again in 1994. In fact, in 1994, I had been outed by my opponent.
  When my students came to me in 2009, several months after the passage 
of Proposition 8--I might say that Proposition 8 was the statewide 
initiative that overturned the California Supreme Court decision that 
granted same-sex couples the right to marry. The people of California 
did this in the 2008 election at the same time that they gave President 
Barack Obama nearly a 20-point margin of victory. A much narrower 
victory was given to Proposition 8, which overturned marriage equality 
in California.
  My students were in a slingshot moment. They surprised me. They came 
to me and said, Mr. Takano, many kids at our school are upset about the 
injustice of Proposition 8 and they are mad. They want to start a gay-
straight alliance. What was amazing to me was that over 100 kids turned 
up in my classroom for that first organizing meeting.

                              {time}  1800

  It began to make me think that another run for Congress was something 
that I should start thinking about, that my experience in 1992 and 
1994--in 1992 almost winning against my opponent and 1994 being a year 
in which I was attacked for being gay, and homophobic attacks were 
used.
  I found that in 2012, I was surrounded by family, loved ones, and 
supporters as I was elected to Congress, making me the first out person 
of color to be elected to the House of Representatives.
  My story is not all that unique. There are still LGBTQ+ people whose 
queerness is used against them, whether it is being outed or otherwise 
forced to stay in the closet for longer.
  Pride Month and the idea of Pride reminds us that it isn't always the 
case that an out gay Asian man could come to the floor of the House of 
Representatives and stand alongside his colleagues to celebrate his 
identity.
  It wasn't always the case that bills like the Equality Act could be 
introduced and nevertheless passed out of committee and out of a 
Chamber of Congress, let alone twice.
  We have made so much progress, but there is still so much more to do. 
There are still members of our community being targeted, harassed, and 
diminished by those with hatred in their hearts.
  While the journey to full equality for the LGBTQ+ community is long 
and

[[Page H4405]]

winding, I stand here on the floor of the House of Representatives with 
clear eyes, proud of the progress we have seen in the past decade and 
beyond, along with a faith in the Constitution that is whole, that is 
complete, and that is total.
  Madam Speaker, just a few miles from here is the Congressional 
Cemetery. There is a silent protest happening. There amongst the 
tombstones of former Representatives, Senators, and former Cabinet 
members is the tombstone without a name that instead bears the message: 
``When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men 
and a discharge for loving one.''
  Leonard Matlovich is laid to rest there, a Vietnam veteran who rose 
to fame in 1975 by becoming the first gay servicemember to publicly 
reveal his sexuality and challenging the military's longstanding ban on 
LGBTQ+ people.
  After meeting with famed gay rights activist Frank Kamaney in D.C., 
Matlovich hand delivered a letter to his commanding officer, declaring 
his sexual identity.
  Despite years of exemplary service and multiple tours of duty in 
Vietnam, which included a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart that he had 
earned after nearly being killed by a land mine, he was discharged.
  Madam Speaker, 13 years later, Leonard passed away from HIV/AIDS 
after years of advocacy, bravery, and being a voice for LGBTQ+ 
servicemembers serving during Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
  Our Nation failed Leonard and the estimated 114,000 servicemembers 
who were discharged on the basis of their sexual orientation between 
World War II and 2011.
  The repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell came 13 years ago, but the hurt, 
shame, and legacy of this rule lives on in the form of missed benefits 
and harassment.
  As ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I have 
heard stories from former servicemembers who either ended their service 
early or were discharged due to who they loved.
  To date, there has been no congressional-led effort to investigate 
the historic and ongoing impacts of discriminatory military policies on 
LGBTQ+ servicemembers and veterans.
  That is why I introduced legislation to establish a commission to 
collect facts and testimonies while also providing recommendations to 
Congress, the VA, and the uniformed services on how to move forward 
from these harmful policies.
  There are currently 250,000 Active-Duty LGBTQ+ servicemembers and 
over 1.5 million LGBTQ+ veterans receiving healthcare from the VA, but 
there continues to be a pervasive lack of data collection on LGBTQ+ 
servicemembers and veteran populations and an absence of education on 
the LGBTQ+ community who serve in uniform.
  I stand ready to pass this legislation so that even more veterans can 
experience the world-class care that all veterans are entitled to 
through the VA.
  I say in closing that Pride Month is a time for celebration, but it 
is also a time for action. I thank all the speakers who joined in this 
Special Order hour to pay tribute to the LGBTQ+ community and to 
enunciate the work that is left to do.
  Our speakers today have made clear the progress that we have made but 
also the work that we still need to do in order to achieve full 
equality.
  This month and every month, the congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus 
stands in solidarity with LGBTQ+ people throughout the country and 
around the world. We will never stop fighting for your rights.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________