[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8373]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRESS MUST PASS THE EQUALITY ACT

  (Ms. GRAHAM asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, somewhere in America today there is a young 
person who, all of a sudden, realizes that he or she is gay. They are 
afraid that, if their parents find out, they may be tossed out of the 
house, that their classmates will taunt them, and there are still 
politicians who say that they are not equal.
  For years, these young people didn't believe they had any options, 
but, today, because of the work of the LGBT community and because of 
leaders like Harvey Milk, they have hope. They can run for public 
office; they can serve in our military; they can marry whom they love. 
They have hope for a better future, but there is still work to be done.
  Across the country, including in Florida, LGBT Americans can still be 
discriminated against. That is why Congress must pass the Equality Act. 
We must pass it because it is the right thing to do. We must pass it 
for the young person who is still scared and struggling. We must pass 
it to give them hope.

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