Pride Month
Floor Speech
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Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Happy Pride to all.
Madam Speaker, I rise tonight in support of LGBTQ+ equality, a domain in which we have made so much progress. I am so grateful for that, but we have a long way to go.
I thank Congressman Takano for his phenomenal leadership, his friendship, what he does on the Equality Caucus as co-chair, and what he does in the Halls of Congress every day, standing up to hatred, fighting for doing right and for, of course, coordinating tonight's Pride Month Special. I thank the gentleman so much.
Yesterday was Equality Day, the anniversary of three Supreme Court decisions that transformed LGBTQ+ rights here in our great country: Lawrence v. Texas, U.S. v. Windsor, and Obergefell v. Hodges. In just over two decades, we made a century's worth of progress, unbelievable progress in a short period of time, decriminalizing homosexuality and guaranteeing marriage equality nationally.
Yet, in the midst of this monumental progress, there are forces here in the Halls of Congress and in State legislatures across our country that want to pull us backward and go after Americans for who they love.
So far this year, the ACLU is tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in our State legislatures, embedding hate and cruelty into the letter of their laws. LGBTQ+ rights are personal for me, as they are for many people in Congress and for Americans across our country. For the sake of our brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and friends, we can't, and we won't let extremists roll back the clock on the great progress we have made.
The monumental progress I highlighted just a minute ago originated in the courts, but it really came from the country, in homes, in communities, and people realizing that it is the right thing to do to make sure people can love who they want and live their lives.
I am deeply grateful the courts made the decisions on marriage equality, but we can't rely on the whims of Supreme Court Justices. We need to make these victories permanent through Congress.
That is why, in 2022, I helped pass the bipartisan, bicameral Respect for Marriage Act, which enshrines marriage equality into Federal law. We can and must do the same when it comes to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
I am incredibly proud to be a member of the Equality Caucus and a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which will ban this discrimination outright. We have now passed the Equality Act twice through the House. I urge House leadership to bring it up for a vote once again.
Equal treatment isn't a partisan issue. We can send a message of acceptance to our country by sending this bill to the President's desk. This is a place where we can work together and come together.
Finally, we must stop the mistreatment of our LGBTQ+ community. That is why I am introducing the Elder Pride Protection Act with Congresswoman Angie Craig of Minnesota, an Equality Caucus co-chair, which will combat the runaway abuse facing LGBTQ+ seniors across our country. It is a real issue. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical legislation.
Let's never forget the words of the heart of our country found in the Declaration of Independence: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.''
The best way that we can move forward and live up to the Founders' vision is by standing for LGBTQ+ equality and happiness. I mean equality for everybody here in the greatest country in the world. I know that, if we do that and stand together and work together, our best days will always be ahead of us.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman once again for yielding.
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