Lgbtq Pride Month
Floor Speech
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Ms. JACOBS of California. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Cicilline for yielding to me.
I am honored to join my colleagues tonight to mark Pride Month. I should know note, San Diego actually officially celebrates Pride in July. So I am happy I get an extra month to celebrate with all of you.
Madam Speaker, I stand here today as the proud sister to a trans brother and a gender nonconforming sibling; a proud member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus; and the proud representative of Hillcrest, the heart and soul of San Diego's diverse and vibrant LGBTQ-plus community.
This year has been difficult for so many of us, but especially for the LGBTQ-plus community. COVID-19 took friends, family members, and beloved community leaders from us. It forced so many into isolation; closed our communal spaces; and added to the economic, mental health, physical health, and childcare burdens.
And to all of the young people stuck at home, away from their friends, and may be with family who doesn't accept you, know this: You are perfect just the way you are and we need you.
But during this pandemic, San Diego's LGBTQ-plus community also rallied together to support one another and to support our community at large. The San Diego LGBTQ Community Center hosted food banks and made home deliveries for folks who were homebound. San Diego Pride hosted vaccine events for LGBTQ-plus people of color, trans, and non-binary people, and those living with HIV.
And next month, at long last, we will finally be able to celebrate Pride together again in person. And as we celebrate, we are also focused on the future. I am proud to work alongside all our LGBTQ-plus siblings to fight for an end to discrimination in all its forms based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Earlier this year, I was honored to join every one of my Democratic colleagues as an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, legislation that will be life-changing for so many of my constituents.
The first version of this bill was filed 15 years before I was even born. It had one cosponsor and never got a vote. It is humbling to think about the progress that has happened in my lifetime, progress that was made possible by all those who marched and protested and raised their voices. I am proud to work alongside all of you to continue that work. We will keep up the fight until everyone has equal rights under the law.
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