IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 419 

Encouraging the celebration of the month of June as LGBTQ Pride Month. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 28, 2017 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, 

Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. CORREA, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. 

GALLEGO, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. 

MOULTON, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. MOORE, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mrs. 

WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. WELCH, Mr. KIHUEN, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, 

Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. POLIS, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. 

NORTON, Ms. JAYAPAL, and Mr. POCAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Encouraging the celebration of the month of June as 

LGBTQ Pride Month. 

Whereas this resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Original 

LGBTQ Pride Month Resolution of 2017’’; 

Whereas the Honorable Barney Frank, Member of Congress 

from 1981 to 2013, is recognized as an honorary cosponsor of this resolution; 

Whereas Members of this Congress support the rights, freedoms, and equality of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ); 


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Whereas in the summer of 1963, Bayard Rustin organized 

the March on Washington as an openly gay AfricanAmerican man; 

Whereas in August of 1966, the ‘‘Screaming Queens’’ of the 

Gene Compton’s Cafeteria riot in the Tenderloin District 

of San Francisco were recorded as one of the first 

transgender riots that erupted after police harassment 

and continued as protestation against police brutality and 

improper policing of the LGBTQ community; 

Whereas those who took a stand for human rights and dignity at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 

1969, were pioneers of the LGBTQ movement, including 

two transgender women of color, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, who were brave visible leaders in the uprising at Stonewall Inn; 

Whereas the LGBTQ Stonewall and Compton’s Cafeteria 

protestors were subject to police harassment and invidious discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; 

Whereas these decisive moments in history were followed by 

the creation of LGBTQ rights organizations in every 

major city in the United States within years of the 

uprisings; 

Whereas these uprisings have been followed by many positive 

progressive historic moments; 

Whereas in December of 1973, the board of the American 

Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality 

from its list of mental illnesses; 

Whereas in 1974, Elaine Noble became the first openly 

LGBTQ candidate elected to a State legislature in the 


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United States when she won a seat in the Massachusetts 

House of Representatives; 

Whereas in 1975, the Civil Service Commission eliminated 

the ban on the employment of homosexuals in most Federal jobs; 

Whereas, on January 8, 1978, Harvey Milk made national 

news when he was sworn in as an openly gay member of 

the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; 

Whereas in October of 1979, 75,000 people participated in 

the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay 

Rights to demand equal civil rights; 

Whereas in 1980, Democrats took a stance in support of gay 

rights at the Democratic National Convention; 

Whereas in 1982, Wisconsin became the first State to ban 

discrimination based on sexual orientation; 

Whereas in 1983, after initial refusal from lead organizers to 

allow an openly LGBTQ person to speak, Audre Lorde 

was selected by black LGBTQ groups to speak at the 

20th anniversary commemoration of Martin Luther King, 

Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington; 

Whereas in October of 1987, thousands of activists took part 

in the National March on Washington to demand that 

President Reagan address the AIDS crisis; 

Whereas in 1987, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts became the first Representative to voluntarily come 

out as an openly gay Member of Congress; 

Whereas in 1988, Urvashi Vaid co-founded the Creating 

Change Conference, the largest annual LGBTQ convening in the United States organized by the National 

LGBTQ Task Force; 


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Whereas, on May 20, 1996, the Supreme Court of the United 

States decided, in Romer v. Evans, that a Colorado constitutional amendment preventing the enactment of nondiscrimination protections for gay, lesbian, and bisexual 

people in that State was unconstitutional; 

Whereas at the turn of the century in 2000, Vermont became 

the first State in the country to legally recognize civil 

unions between same-sex couples; 

Whereas, on June 8, 2000, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, in Rosa v. Parks, that a transgender person 

had recourse under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act’s 

prohibition on sex discrimination after being denied a 

loan for dressing in traditionally feminine attire; 

Whereas, on June 26, 2003, the Supreme Court of the 

United States ruled in Lawrence v. Texas, that under the 

14th Amendment, States could not criminalize the private, intimate relationships of same-sex couples; 

Whereas, on August 5, 2004, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals determined, in Smith v. City of Salem, that 

transgender employees are protected from workplace discrimination under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 

1964; 

Whereas in 2008, Latino trans man Diego Miguel Sanchez 

became the first openly transgender individual to be appointed to the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee; 

Whereas, on November 4, 2008, Stu Rasmussen of Silverton, 

Oregon, became the first openly transgender person to be 

elected mayor in the Nation; 


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Whereas in 2009, Diego Miguel Sanchez became the first 

openly transgender congressional senior staffer on Capitol Hill, appointed by Rep. Barney Frank; 

Whereas, on October 28, 2009, the Matthew Shepard and 

James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act was 

passed by Congress and signed into law by President 

Obama. The bill expanded existing Federal hate crimes 

laws to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or 

perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or 

disability; 

Whereas, on January 4, 2010, Mayor Annise D. Parker was 

sworn in as the first openly lesbian mayor of Houston, 

and the largest city in the United States to have an openly LGBTQ mayor; 

Whereas, on November 2, 2010, Victoria Kolakowski was 

elected as the first openly transgender woman in California to serve as a trial court judge for the Alameda 

County Superior Court; 

Whereas, on November 17, 2010, Phyllis Frye was appointed 

into the City of Houston Municipal Courts as the first 

openly transgender judge in Texas; 

Whereas in December of 2010, Congress approved and President Obama signed the repeal of the ‘‘Don’t Ask, Don’t 

Tell’’ law, allowing gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to serve 

openly in the United States Armed Forces; 

Whereas in October of 2011, The Girl Scouts of America 

opened membership to a seven-year-old transgender girl; 

Whereas 2012 marked the first year that all 50 States in the 

United States had at least one openly LGBTQ elected official; 


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Whereas, on April 20, 2012, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that discrimination based on 

gender identity is ‘‘sex discrimination’’ for purposes of 

title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 

Whereas, on November 6, 2012, Rep. Mark Takano became 

the first openly gay person of color elected to Congress; 

Whereas, on January 3, 2013, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin 

was sworn in as the first openly gay United States Senator; 

Whereas, on January 3, 2013, Kyrsten Sinema was sworn in 

as the first openly bisexual Member of Congress; 

Whereas, on March 11, 2013, a transgender inclusive version 

of the Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized; 

Whereas, on June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court of the 

United States ruled, in United States v. Windsor, that 

section three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) 

was unconstitutional and that the Federal Government 

cannot discriminate against married lesbian and gay couples for the purposes of determining Federal rights, benefits, and obligations; 

Whereas, on November 20, 2013, President Obama posthumously presented Bayard Rustin with a Presidential 

Medal of Freedom; 

Whereas, on June 9, 2014, Laverne Cox became the first 

openly transgender person on the cover of Time magazine; 

Whereas, on June 17, 2014, Darrin P. Gayles was the first 

openly gay African-American man to be confirmed as a 

Federal Judge; 


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Whereas, on July 10, 2014, Laverne Cox became the first 

openly transgender individual to be nominated for an 

Emmy award; 

Whereas, on July 21, 2014, President Obama took action to 

protect LGBTQ workers by signing an Executive order 

prohibiting Federal contractors from discriminating on 

the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; 

Whereas, on June 8, 2015, triathlete Chris Moiser became 

the first transgender athlete to earn a spot on the United 

States national team; 

Whereas, on June 9, 2015, the United States military’s equal 

opportunity policy was updated to protect LGB servicemen and women from harassment and discrimination; 

Whereas, on June 23, 2015, New York City’s Stonewall Inn 

received a landmark designation by the city’s Landmarks 

Preservation Commission so that the bar cannot be torn 

down or developed without approval; 

Whereas, on June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the 

United States in Obergefell v. Hodges decided by a vote 

of 5–4 that the 14th Amendment requires all States to 

license marriages between same-sex couples and to recognize all marriages that were lawfully performed out-ofState; 

Whereas, on July 23, 2015, H.R. 3185, with the short title 

of the Equality Act, was introduced in the 114th Congress by Rep. David Cicilline with bipartisan support, 

which amends our Nation’s Federal civil rights laws to 

explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity 

among the prohibited categories of discrimination in employment, housing, credit, education, public accommodation, federally funded programs, and jury service; 


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Whereas, on July 17, 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that discrimination based on 

sexual orientation is ‘‘sex discrimination’’ for purposes of 

title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 

Whereas, on October 31, 2015, the Obama administration 

announced that it would approve the spouses of refugees 

who are approved for resettlement in the United States, 

including same-sex spouses who come from countries 

where legal unions are not possible; 

Whereas in the first 10 weeks of 2016, according to a 

Human Rights Campaign tally, more than 200 bills 

across 34 States were introduced that are considered 

anti-LGBTQ, and the threat to the civil liberties of 

LGBTQ people has increased on the State level since the 

Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality; 

Whereas, on May 13, 2016, the Departments of Justice and 

Education released joint guidance to help provide educators the information they need to ensure that 

transgender students attend school in an environment 

free from discrimination based on sex; 

Whereas, on May 18, 2016, Eric Fanning was sworn in as 

Secretary of the Army, marking the first time a branch 

of the military was led by an openly gay person; 

Whereas, on June 30, 2016, the Department of Defense announced an immediate policy change allowing 

transgender service members to serve openly without fear 

of retribution; 

Whereas, on July 5, 2016, the National Congress of Parents 

and Teachers, known as the National PTA, adopted a 

resolution on the Recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 

Transgender, and Queer/Questioning as a protected class; 


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Whereas, on July 28, 2016, Human Rights Campaign national press secretary Sarah McBride spoke at the Democratic National Convention, making her the first 

transgender person to address a major party convention; 

Whereas, on June 24, 2016, President Obama designated the 

first national monument to LGBTQ rights at the site of 

the Stonewall uprising; 

Whereas, on November 8, 2016, Kate Brown of Oregon became the first openly bisexual person to win a gubernatorial election; 

Whereas, on January 30, 2017, The Boy Scouts of America 

announced that they would open membership to 

transgender boys; 

Whereas, on April 4, 2017, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, 

that lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees are protected 

from workplace discrimination under title VII of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964; and 

Whereas the inclusion of our transgender brothers and sisters 

into United States society continues to expand every day, 

with an understanding that we will remain steadfast in 

pursuing the goal of complete equality, respect, and tolerance for all, regardless of the gender a person is assigned 

at birth: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes that lesbian, gay, bisexual, 

3 transgender, and queer (LGBTQ rights) are human 

4 rights and are protected by the Constitution; 


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1 (2) recognizes that all Americans should be 

2 treated fairly and equally regardless of sexual ori3 entation or gender identity; 

4 (3) acknowledges the struggle of the Stonewall 

5 and Compton’s Cafeteria protestors and countless 

6 other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 

7 people for equality; 

8 (4) encourages the celebration of LGBTQ Pride 

9 Month to provide a continuing opportunity for all 

10 people in the United States to learn about the dis11 crimination and inequality that has faced, and con12 tinues to face, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 

13 and queer people; and 

14 (5) agrees that the United States must continue 

15 to strive to ensure that the promise of equality is re16 alized for all Americans. 

Æ 


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