[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8467]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF PRIDE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 9, 2016

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, throughout June, LGBT community members and 
allies across our country will march down Main Street to celebrate the 
tremendous progress we have made towards equality. I rise today to 
honor the many individuals in my district, as well as across the 
country, who have fought for generations for the right to be treated 
fairly and with decency. You have led the charge against bigotry, 
towards equality. We celebrate Pride Month in honor of you.
  In the 24 years that I've served in Congress, the understanding and 
acceptance of the LGBT community has greatly improved. Families across 
the country have opened their hearts to welcome increasingly diverse 
neighbors and loved ones. This change can also be felt in the halls of 
Congress. Just this past month, an amendment to prevent discrimination 
against Federal employees and contractors on the basis of sexual 
orientation or gender identity passed the House with bipartisan 
support, after having been defeated just the week before. 
Discrimination against the LGBT community is increasingly being 
recognized for what it is--bigotry--and federal policy is starting the 
long trek to catch up.
  I do not deny that there is still much work to be done. North 
Carolina's recent move to target transgender children proves that 
bigotry and hate still must be fought and defeated. We must continue to 
work towards a Federal prohibition of discrimination based on actual or 
perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. I am a proud cosponsor 
of legislation that would do just that, the Equality Act, and remain 
committed to ensuring Congress enacts laws to fully protect the rights 
of all Americans, regardless of gender, ethnicity or race.
  I am proud to represent communities all along the Central Coast who 
celebrate our diversity and continue to fight towards the equality that 
the LGBT community so rightly deserves. Just this past Sunday, Santa 
Cruz celebrated their Pride Parade, just as they've done for forty-one 
years. Marchers, musicians, and drummers marched, danced, and waved 
flags of every color down Pacific Avenue. We are inspired by the beat 
of their drum to march on towards equality.

                          ____________________