The publication is reproduced in full below:
CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH
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HON. ANNA G. ESHOO
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I'm proud to join my fellow members of the Equality Caucus in celebrating Pride Month and the progress our country has made in securing equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. As we recognize our progress, we must keep fighting because the LGBTQ+ community has yet to be granted full equality.
Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall Uprising, the now-famous targeting of the gay community at the Stonewall Inn by police in New York City in June 1969. In the subsequent four decades since Stonewall, LGBTQ+ individuals can serve openly in the military, same-sex couples can wed, and the Supreme Court has upheld certain federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Much work remains to be done. Transgender individuals still face high levels of violence. Federal, state, and local laws still allow many forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. And just last week in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the Supreme Court found that anti-LGBTQ+ religious objections can override a government agency's policies to ensure equality. While the case focused on same-sex couples adopting children, it could have much broader ramifications.
For all these reasons, I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which extends anti-discrimination provisions in federal law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I'm proud that the House passed this legislation on a bipartisan vote of 224 to 206 on February 25, 2021. I urge the Senate to take up this legislation and send it to the President's desk as soon as possible.
As we celebrate Pride Month, let us also remember the victims of anti-LGBTQ+ hate, mourn the loss of countless loved ones whose lives were lost in the battle against HIV/AIDS, and reaffirm our commitment to fighting for an America where all are equal, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 110
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