IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 388 

Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day Against 

Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 17, 2019 

Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. GRIJALVA, 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. 

CICILLINE, Ms. TITUS, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. LARSEN of 

Washington, Ms. FRANKEL, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. MOORE, Mr. 

LOWENTHAL, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. SOTO, Mr. 

LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. NADLER, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. 

DELBENE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. KILMER, Ms. BROWNLEY

of California, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. CORREA, 

Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. CRIST, Mr. HIGGINS of 

New York, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. GARCIA of 

Texas, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. HAALAND, Ms. MENG, Mr. 

RASKIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, 

Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. HIMES, Mrs. FLETCHER, Mrs. CRAIG, Ms. PORTER, 

Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. CISNEROS, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. SWALWELL of 

California, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 

PAYNE, and Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 

to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day 

Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. 


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•HRES 388 IH 

Whereas over 11,000,000 American adults identify as lesbian, 

gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), and 1,300,000 

high schoolers identify as LGBT; 

Whereas, according to a February 2013 report by the Williams Institute, an estimated 3,000,000 LGBT Americans have had a child and as many as 6,000,000 American children and adults have an LGBT parent; 

Whereas the Center for American Progress found 1 in 4 

LGBT people reported experiencing discrimination in 

some area of their lives because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in 2016; 

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia contribute to disparities in physical and mental health indicators such as depression, substance use, cancer, and experiences of abuse and violence; 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention further report that homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia 

limit an individual’s ability to access high-quality health 

care and negatively affect such individual’s income and 

employment status; 

Whereas, according to the Global Commission on HIV and 

the Law, homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia contribute to disproportionately high rates of HIV among 

men who have sex with men and transgender women; 

Whereas, according to a 2017 survey by GLSEN (formerly 

known as the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), 87 percent of students who identify as LGBT 

were harassed at school in the past year due to their sexual orientation, 60 percent felt unsafe at school because 


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of their sexual orientation, and 40 percent because of 

their gender identity; 

Whereas youth who are LGBT are 120 percent more likely 

to experience homelessness than their non-LGBT counterparts and are likely to lack access to health care and 

develop stress-related disorders; 

Whereas youth who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are 

over 4 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to 

their heterosexual counterparts and transgender youth 

are over 5 times more likely to attempt suicide than their 

cisgender counterparts; 

Whereas homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia are associated with minority stress that may underlie sexual behaviors that can increase the risk of HIV and AIDS transmission, and also create additional barriers for LGBT individuals to access prevention and treatment for HIV and 

AIDS; 

Whereas, the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, a study of 

27,715 transgender adults, found that 77 percent of 

those who were out or perceived as transgender in K–12 

were harassed, physically or sexually assaulted, or faced 

other forms of mistreatment because of being 

transgender, and nearly 1 in 5 (17 percent) were forced 

to leave a school because of the severity of mistreatment 

that they faced; 

Whereas the Center for American Progress found 8 percent 

of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer survey respondents 

and 29 percent of transgender respondents reported a 

doctor refused to see them because of their actual or perceived LGBT status and LGBT patients who experienced 


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•HRES 388 IH 

discrimination were nearly 7 times more likely than those 

who had not to avoid going to a doctor; 

Whereas LGBT adults are over twice as likely to be uninsured than their non-LGBT counterparts and LGBT 

adults, particularly bisexual men and women, are more 

likely to experience poverty; 

Whereas 68 countries still criminalize homosexuality, and 

LGBT people in these countries face violence, increased 

discrimination, and blackmail; 

Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, in 

some countries transgender women are 80 times more 

likely to have HIV, and there were 2,982 reported 

killings of transgender people in 72 countries between 

2008 and 2018; and 

Whereas the European Parliament and other international 

bodies observe May 17 as an International Day Against 

Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of an Inter3 national Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, 

4 and Biphobia; 

5 (2) encourages the Federal Government, States, 

6 localities, nonprofit organizations, schools, and com7 munity organizations to observe the day with appro8 priate programs and activities, with the goal of in9 creasing public knowledge of homophobia, 


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1 transphobia, and biphobia and empowering commu2 nities to celebrate and respect their diversity; 

3 (3) encourages health care providers to offer 

4 culturally and clinically competent care to the LGBT 

5 community, schools to support the creation of gay6 straight alliances to achieve safer learning environ7 ments, and individuals to learn about national re8 sources for those who identify as LGBT; and 

9 (4) encourages the Federal Government, States, 

10 international funding organizations, and United 

11 States bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to 

12 prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT 

13 people. 

Æ 


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