IV 

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. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, 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 


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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 


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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 orVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR52.IH HR52

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ganizations 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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the necessity and work of those 

3 who create LGBTQIA+ community spaces with the 

4 goals of equality; 

5 (2) commends those who foster community 

6 partnerships between marginalized groups and local 

7 resources; 

8 (3) acknowledges the historical importance of 

9 community-building spaces in the intersectional fight 

10 against homophobic, racist, misogynistic, and hateful 

11 oppression; 

12 (4) honors current and past organizations and 

13 individuals dedicated to providing marginalized 


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1 groups, like the LGBTQIA+ community and people 

2 of color, with space to commune and organize; 

3 (5) affirms the importance of education and 

4 awareness initiatives that highlight the historical 

5 and cultural significance of LGBTQIA+ community 

6 spaces; and 

7 (6) encourages continued support by Congress 

8 for community organizations and individuals who 

9 continue to create community for marginalized 

10 groups. 

Æ 


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