[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8692-8693]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           YOU ARE NOT ALONE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is always a preeminent 
privilege to stand in the well of the Congress of the United States of 
America. I never take for granted the opportunity that has been 
afforded me by my constituents, as their representative, to be here and 
stand and speak on their behalf.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that this day is Flag Day. It is the 
day that the flag was adopted, June 14, 1777, and I am honored tonight 
to make additional comments about Flag Day. But this is a day that we 
honor the flag of the United States of America.
  On this day when we will honor the flag of the United States of 
America, this evening, after the first votes, we will also bring to the 
floor the LGBTQ Pride Month resolution. We are bringing this resolution 
to the floor, notwithstanding things that have occurred, because we 
would not want the dastardly deeds of one to prevent us from 
commemorating the accomplishments of the many.
  The resolution will be brought to the floor, and those Members of 
Congress who consider themselves allies of the

[[Page 8693]]

LGBTQ community, please come. This will afford you an opportunity to 
speak of your concern and to express your love for the LGBTQ community. 
Allies of the community should come to the floor. This will be a great 
opportunity, and we ask that you preface your statements, let your 
preamble be ``you are not alone.''
  This is an opportunity for those of us who are allies of the 
community to make it clear, perspicuously so, that this community is 
not alone; that they have friends; that they have people who will stand 
with them, even in the darkest hour; even when they walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, there are friends who will stand with 
them. They are not alone. Come to the floor, if you choose, and make 
your statements known.
  I do this because I understand that this opportunity to stand here is 
not something that I enjoy because I am so smart. There are people who 
lived and some who died so that I might stand in the well of the 
Congress of the United States of America on this day.
  And because they did, it is worthy of mentioning that there were 
people other than African Americans who participated in my liberation. 
Schwerner and Goodman died fighting for the rights of African 
Americans. They were not Black.
  John Shillady died in Austin, Texas, a field marshal for the NAACP. 
He was not Black.
  When Rosa Parks went to jail, Virginia Durr and her husband, attorney 
Clifford Durr, along with Mr. Nixon, who was the then-president of the 
NAACP, posted her bail. Mr. Nixon was African American; the Durrs were 
not.
  So it is important for those of us who have benefited from the 
goodness, the goodwill of others, to pay that debt we owe. This is an 
opportunity to make another installment on the debt that we owe as a 
result of others standing up for us. We were not alone, and the LGBTQ 
community should not be alone and is not alone.
  So, tonight, we invite Members to come to the floor and to preface 
your statements with ``you are not alone'' and to let people know that 
you stand with the community in this time of great sadness, of great 
sadness.
  But, also, speak of some of the good things that have occurred. We 
can talk of how the Supreme Court has made a significant difference, 
not only for this time but for all time, for people, because the 
Constitution of the United States was not written for Democrats or 
Republicans. It wasn't written for conservatives or liberals. It wasn't 
written for people of a certain hue. It wasn't written for people of a 
certain religion. It was written for the people of the United States of 
America, and that includes the LGBTQ community.
  I thank you for the time. This is a to-be-continued moment. First 
hour after votes, to be continued.
  God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. And I 
pledge allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands, 
one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all, and that 
includes the LGBTQ community.

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