[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.
____________________