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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 52 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 52

   Recognizing and honoring the work of community organizations and 
 individuals who create and maintain services and educational programs 
   for marginalized groups ensuring the resilience and prosperity of 
                   members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 16, 2025

    Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. 
    Velazquez, Ms. Norton, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Johnson of 
Georgia, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Titus, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Ms. Sewell, 
  Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. 
   Doggett, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Swalwell, and Mr. Carson) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Recognizing and honoring the work of community organizations and 
 individuals who create and maintain services and educational programs 
   for marginalized groups ensuring the resilience and prosperity of 
                   members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Whereas LGBTQIA+ community spaces provide critical environments, both 
        historically and in the present, where individuals of diverse sexual 
        orientations and gender identities can express themselves authentically, 
        free from discrimination, violence, or judgment, while fostering a sense 
        of belonging, mental and emotional well-being, and community support, 
        and have served as incubators for cultural expression, social activism, 
        and education on issues of equality and justice;
Whereas the term ``LGBTQIA+'' is understood to mean lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
        transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual, and other identities;
Whereas community partnership organizations have been instrumental in 
        establishing, maintaining, and expanding these spaces through their 
        dedication, advocacy, and resource mobilization;
Whereas LGBTQIA+ community spaces include and uplift members who are also from 
        racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds emphasizing the need for 
        solidarity and mutual understanding;
Whereas, in June 1969, the Stonewall Inn--a bar known for serving LGBTQIA+ 
        community members at a time when being LGBTQIA+ was illegal--was raided 
        by the City of New York Police Department, leading to a six-day protest 
        led by a diverse coalition including transgender women of color such as 
        Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, demonstrating intersectional 
        solidarity in maintaining community support spaces;
Whereas the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League, later known as GLAAD, held 
        its first meeting in 1985 at the New York Community Center, convening 
        over 400 LGBTQIA+ people and providing an unprecedented opportunity for 
        members within the LBGTQIA+ community to openly and unabashedly discuss 
        ongoing political and social issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community;
Whereas, in 1987, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, also known as ACT UP, was 
        founded through the unity of smaller LGBTQIA+ organizations and 
        individuals to fight discrimination against those with Acquired 
        Immunodeficiency Syndrome, also known as AIDS, in politics and the 
        health care industry, often facing military and police aggression for 
        holding strategizing meetings in semipublic places, and whose valiant 
        efforts helped combat the social and political stigma around AIDS;
Whereas ballroom, an underground LGBTQIA+ artform that emerged out of burlesque 
        shows in the late 1800s and gained mainstream prominence in cities such 
        as New York and Chicago by the 1990s, provided a platform for teams to 
        compete and enhanced recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community;
Whereas bars and nightclubs that have historically held space for the LGBTQIA+ 
        community have declined by 37 percent in the last decade, making up only 
        1.5 percent of the total share of bars and clubs in the United States, 
        with only 32 lesbian bars and nightclubs in existence across the Nation;
Whereas, according to a 2020 analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey 
        by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, sexual and gender 
        minorities disproportionately face victimization, experiencing violent 
        victimization at a rate of 71.1 per 1000 people compared with 19.2 per 
        1000 people for those who are not sexual or gender minorities;
Whereas the New York City Anti-Violence Project's LGBTQIA+ 2022 Safe Spaces 
        National Needs Assessment found that 62.1 percent of 380 LGBTQIA+ 
        businesses, groups, and organizations surveyed experienced at least 1 
        incident of hate violence in 2022 and 9 in 10 organizations expressed a 
        need for security measures they do not currently have;
Whereas ensuring access to resources and investments for LGBTQIA+ businesses, 
        groups, and organizations to continue supporting vulnerable populations 
        is a critical need; and
Whereas when protected spaces are infiltrated by violence and hatred, innocent 
        people are the ones who pay the price, oftentimes with their lives, and 
        the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando took the lives of 49 
        individuals, and the 2022 Club Q shooting took the lives of 5 
        individuals, both of which gravely damaged the psyche and sense of 
        security for the respective local communities and LGBTQIA+ 
        organizations: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the necessity and work of those who create 
        LGBTQIA+ community spaces with the goals of equality;
            (2) commends those who foster community partnerships 
        between marginalized groups and local resources;
            (3) acknowledges the historical importance of community-
        building spaces in the intersectional fight against homophobic, 
        racist, misogynistic, and hateful oppression;
            (4) honors current and past organizations and individuals 
        dedicated to providing marginalized groups, like the LGBTQIA+ 
        community and people of color, with space to commune and 
        organize;
            (5) affirms the importance of education and awareness 
        initiatives that highlight the historical and cultural 
        significance of LGBTQIA+ community spaces; and
            (6) encourages continued support by Congress for community 
        organizations and individuals who continue to create community 
        for marginalized groups.
                                 <all>
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