[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15350]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE 32ND ANNUAL CAPITAL PRIDE FESTIVAL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2007

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 32nd Annual 
Capital Pride Festival, a celebration of the National Capital Area's 
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender, GLBT, communities, their 
families, and friends.
  The Capital Pride Festival has grown from a small block party in 1975 
to the current week- long celebration. This year Capital Pride 
culminates with the Pride Parade on June 9th and ``The Main Event,'' a 
street fair on Pennsylvania Avenue in the shadow of the Capitol, June 
10th.
  I have marched in the Pride parades since coming to Congress to 
emphasize the universality of human rights and the importance of 
enacting federal legislation to secure those rights for the GLBT 
community.
  This year's theme, ``Together we can, Together we will,'' holds 
special meaning for the citizens of the District of Columbia and its 
GLBT community in particular. Washingtonians live in distinct diverse 
neighborhoods such as Colonial Village to the North, Fort Drum to the 
South, Northeast Boundary to the East, and Spring Valley to the West. 
Together we can unite in our quest for all the rights guaranteed U.S. 
citizens by the Constitution.
  In 1994 the District of Columbia lost the first vote it ever won on 
the floor of the House of Representatives, the delegate vote in the 
Committee of the Whole. The Republicans retracted the District's vote 
when they assumed control of the House and this right was re-
established under Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Our city of 550,000 residents, 
10 percent more residents than the entire State of Wyoming, who pay 
more taxes per capita than 49 of the 50 states, remains the only 
jurisdiction in the United States subject to Taxation Without 
Representation. Our Nation's Capital is entitled full voting rights in 
the House and the Senate. On April 19, 2007, the U.S. House of 
Representatives passed H.R. 1905, The District of Columbia House Voting 
Rights Act of 2007. The measure is now before the Senate and is an 
important milestone on DC's road to full and equal representation.
  This one success is a reminder of the pending legislation that the 
110th Congress must pass: The Clarification of Federal Employment 
Protections Act, The Early Treatment for HIV Act, The Employment Non-
Discrimination Act, The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, The 
Military Readiness Enhancement Act, The Responsible Education About 
Life Act, The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, and The 
Uniting American Families Act.
  I ask the House to join me in welcoming the celebrants attending the 
32nd Annual Capital Pride Festival in Washington, DC, and I take this 
opportunity to remind the celebrants that U.S. citizens who reside in 
Washington, DC are taxed without full voting representation in 
Congress.

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