[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6018-6019]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL DAY OF SILENCE

  (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the National Day of 
Silence, which took place last Friday, April 21. That is a day when 
young people come together to raise awareness about the issues faced by 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. In fact, it is the 
only day that highlights issues affecting our LGBT youth. It is that 
type of day that will lead to more acceptance and inclusiveness in our 
society.
  Isa Moreno is a student from my district, in the town of Watsonville. 
She remained silent on that day. After, she

[[Page 6019]]

said: ``Now, more than ever, we as a nation must understand the 
importance of unity and solidarity.''
  I couldn't agree more. As a member of the LGBT Equality Caucus, we 
work to ensure inclusiveness in our country by fighting for policies 
that support our LGBT youth in our communities.
  Many students like Isa took a vow of silence last Friday. So now we, 
as leaders, must take responsibility to speak out, to speak up, and to 
step up for all Americans living in fear because of who they love and 
who they are.

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