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Whereas, in 1983, after initial refusal from lead organizers 
to allow an openly LGBTQIA+ person to speak, Audre 
Lorde was selected by Black LGBTQIA+ groups to 
speak at the 20th anniversary commemoration of Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, 1963 March on Washington; 
Whereas, in October 1987, thousands of activists took part 
in the Second National March on Washington for Les-
bian and Gay Rights to demand that President Reagan 
address the AIDS crisis; 
Whereas, in 1987, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachu-
setts became the first United States Representative to 
voluntarily come out as an openly gay Member of Con-
gress; 
Whereas, in 1988, Urvashi Vaid cofounded the Creating 
Change Conference, the largest annual LGBTQIA+ con-
vening in the United States organized by the National 
LGBTQ Task Force; 
Whereas, on May 20, 1996, the Supreme Court of the United 
States decided in Romer v. Evans, that a Colorado con-
stitutional amendment preventing the enactment of non-
discrimination protections for gay, lesbian, and bisexual 
people in that State was unconstitutional; 
Whereas, on October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay stu-
dent at the University of Wyoming, was beaten, tortured, 
and left to die; 
Whereas, in 2000, at the turn of the century, Vermont be-
came 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 Ap-
peals ruled in Rosa v. Park West Bank, that a 
transgender person had recourse under the Equal Credit 
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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 pri-
vate, intimate relationships of same-sex couples; 
Whereas, on August 5, 2004, the Sixth Circuit Court of Ap-
peals determined in Smith v. City of Salem, that 
transgender employees are protected from workplace dis-
crimination under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964; 
Whereas, in 2008, a Latino transgender 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; 
Whereas, in 2009, Diego Miguel Sanchez became the first 
openly transgender congressional senior staffer on Cap-
itol Hill, appointed by Representative 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, and the bill expanded existing Federal hate 
crimes laws to include crimes motivated by a victim’s ac-
tual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender iden-
tity, or disability; 
Whereas, on January 4, 2010, Mayor Annise D. Parker was 
sworn in as the first openly lesbian Mayor of Houston, 
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the largest city in the United States to have an openly 
LGBTQIA+ mayor; 
Whereas, on November 2, 2010, Victoria Kolakowski was 
elected as the first openly transgender woman in Cali-
fornia to serve as a trial court judge for the Alameda 
County Superior Court; 
Whereas, on November 17, 2010, Phyllis Frye was appointed 
to the City of Houston Municipal Courts as the first 
openly transgender judge in the Nation; 
Whereas, in December 2010, Congress approved and Presi-
dent 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 2011, the Girl Scouts of America opened 
membership to a 7-year-old transgender girl; 
Whereas 2012 marked the first year that all 50 States in the 
United States had at least one openly LGBTQIA+ elect-
ed official; 
Whereas, on April 20, 2012, the Equal Employment Oppor-
tunity Commission ruled that discrimination on the basis 
of gender identity is ‘‘sex discrimination’’ for purposes of 
title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 
Whereas, on June 12, 2012, Kylar Broadus became the first 
openly transgender person to testify in a United States 
Senate hearing; 
Whereas, on November 6, 2012, Representative Mark 
Takano, a Japanese American, became the first openly 
gay person of color elected to Congress; 
Whereas, in 2013, the first LGBTQ Pride Month resolution 
was introduced by Representative Al Green; 
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Whereas, on January 3, 2013, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin 
was sworn in as the first openly gay United States Sen-
ator; 
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 April 29, 2013, NBA player Jason Collins be-
came the first active male athlete in a North American 
major sports league to come out as gay; 
Whereas, on June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in 
United States v. Windsor, that section 3 of the Defense 
of Marriage Act was unconstitutional and that the Fed-
eral Government cannot discriminate against married les-
bian and gay couples for the purposes of determining 
Federal rights, benefits, and obligations; 
Whereas, on November 20, 2013, President Obama honored 
civil rights pioneer Bayard Rustin posthumously with a 
Presidential Medal of Freedom; 
Whereas, on June 9, 2014, Laverne Cox became the first 
openly transgender person on the cover of Time Maga-
zine; 
Whereas, on June 17, 2014, Darrin P. Gayles was the first 
openly gay African-American man to be confirmed as a 
Federal judge; 
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 LGBTQIA+ workers by signing an Executive 
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order prohibiting Federal contractors from discriminating 
on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; 
Whereas, on June 8, 2015, Olympic triathlete Chris Moiser 
became the first transgender athlete to earn a spot on 
Team USA; 
Whereas, on June 9, 2015, the United States military’s equal 
opportunity policy was updated to protect servicemembers 
from harassment and discrimination based on sexual ori-
entation; 
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 in Obergefell 
v. Hodges decided in a 5–4 ruling that the 14th Amend-
ment requires all States to license marriages between 
same-sex couples and to recognize all marriages that were 
lawfully performed in a different State; 
Whereas, on July 17, 2015, the Equal Employment Oppor-
tunity Commission ruled that discrimination on the basis 
of 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, during 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-LGBTQIA+; 
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Whereas the threat to the civil liberties of LGBTQIA+ peo-
ple 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 edu-
cators the information they need to ensure that 
transgender students attend school in an environment 
free from discrimination on the basis of 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 members of the LGBTQIA+ community are dis-
proportionately affected by violence and hate crimes; 
Whereas, on June 12, 2016, one of the deadliest mass shoot-
ings in modern United States history occurred at a gay 
nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Latin night, leaving 49 
people dead and another 53 wounded; 
Whereas, since 2013, nearly two-thirds of fatal violence to-
ward transgender and gender-nonconforming people have 
involved a gun and the overwhelming majority of those 
victims were Black trans women under the age of 30; 
Whereas 40 percent of transgender people report having at-
tempted suicide in their lifetime, nearly 9 times the na-
tional average; 
Whereas more than half (54 percent) of transgender people 
responding to a 2015 survey experienced some form of 
intimate partner violence, including acts involving coer-
cive control and physical harm; 
Whereas LGBTQIA+ youth experience dating violence at 
twice the rate of their non-LGBTQIA+ peers; 
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Whereas trans people are 3.7 times more likely to experience 
police violence and 7 times more likely to experience 
physical violence when interacting with police than 
cisgender people; 
Whereas, on June 24, 2016, President Obama designated the 
first national monument to LGBTQIA+ rights at the 
site of the Stonewall uprising, cementing its significance 
in LGBTQIA+ history as well as the overall history of 
the United States; 
Whereas, on June 30, 2016, the Department of Defense an-
nounced an immediate policy change allowing transgen-
der servicemembers to serve openly without fear of ret-
ribution or penalty; 
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 Individuals as a 
Protected Class; 
Whereas, on July 28, 2016, Sarah McBride, national press 
secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, spoke at the 
Democratic National Convention, making her the first 
transgender person to address a major party convention; 
Whereas, on October 3, 2016, the Department of Health and 
Human Services began a project which funds grants in 
relation to assessing the needs of and determining inter-
vention strategies for homeless LGBTQIA+ youth; 
Whereas, on November 8, 2016, Kate Brown of Oregon be-
came the first openly bisexual person to win a guber-
natorial election; 
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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 Ap-
peals 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; 
Whereas, on May 30, 2017, the Seventh Circuit Court of Ap-
peals ruled in Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School Dis-
trict that transgender students are protected from dis-
crimination under title IX of the Education Amendments 
of 1972 and under the Equal Protection Clause of the 
14th Amendment; 
Whereas, on June 27, 2017, residents of the District of Co-
lumbia became the first in the Nation to be allowed to 
select a gender-neutral option on their driver’s license; 
Whereas, in July 2017, the first transgender doll was re-
leased, modeled after LGBTQIA+ activist Jazz Jen-
nings; 
Whereas, on November 7, 2017, Andrea Jenkins’s election to 
the Minneapolis City Council made her the first openly 
transgender woman to win public office in a major 
United States city; 
Whereas, on November 7, 2017, Phillipe Cunningham’s elec-
tion to the Minneapolis City Council made him the first 
openly transgender man to win a seat on the city council 
of a major United States city; 
Whereas the election of Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe 
Cunningham made them the highest ranking openly 
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transgender people of color currently serving in public of-
fice anywhere in the Nation; 
Whereas, on November 7, 2017, Danica Roem of Virginia be-
came the first openly transgender person to win a seat 
and serve in a State legislature; 
Whereas, on March 4, 2018, Daniela Vega became the first 
openly transgender person to present at the Academy 
Awards; 
Whereas, on June 3, 2018, FX aired the show ‘‘Pose’’, mak-
ing television history by featuring the largest cast of 
transgender actors in a series; 
Whereas, on June 4, 2018, the Supreme Court reaffirmed in 
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commis-
sion that businesses do not have a broad license to dis-
criminate against LGBTQIA+ Americans; 
Whereas, on November 6, 2018, Democratic Representative 
Jared Polis became the first openly gay man to be elected 
governor in the United States, winning the race in the 
State of Colorado; 
Whereas, on November 6, 2018, Democratic Representative 
Sharice Davids became the first openly lesbian Rep-
resentative from Kansas in Congress; 
Whereas, on December 17, 2018, Angel Ponce, Miss Spain, 
became the first transgender woman to compete in the 
Miss Universe pageant; 
Whereas, on February 27, 2019, Navy Lieutenant Com-
mander Blake Dremann, Army Captain Alivia Stehlik, 
Army Captain Jennifer Peace, Army Staff Sergeant Pa-
tricia King, and Navy Petty Officer Third Class Akira 
Wyatt became the first openly transgender servicemem-
bers to testify before Congress; 
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Whereas, on April 14, 2019, South Bend Mayor Pete 
Buttigieg became the first openly gay person to run for 
the office of the Presidency; 
Whereas, on April 23, 2019, Jane Castor became the first 
openly LGBTQIA+ person elected as mayor in Tampa, 
Florida; 
Whereas, in April 2019, Morehouse College announced that 
the historically all-male school would begin admitting 
transgender men in 2020; 
Whereas, on May 17, 2019, the House of Representatives 
passed the Equality Act, which amends the Nation’s Fed-
eral civil rights laws to explicitly include sexual orienta-
tion and gender identity among the prohibited categories 
of discrimination in employment, housing, credit, edu-
cation, public accommodation, federally funded programs, 
and jury service; 
Whereas, on May 20, 2019, Lori Lightfoot was sworn in as 
Mayor of Chicago, becoming the first African-American 
lesbian mayor; 
Whereas, on May 24, 2019, Taiwan became the first nation 
in Asia to legally recognize same-sex marriage; 
Whereas, in May 2019, Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that 
homophobia and transphobia would become punishable 
under the same law banning racial discrimination; 
Whereas, in June 2019, New York City became the first 
American city to host the WorldPride conference; 
Whereas June 28, 2019, marked the 50th anniversary of the 
courageous uprising at Stonewall Inn; 
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Whereas, on June 30, 2019, New York Governor Andrew 
Cuomo signed a law banning the use of the so-called gay 
and trans ‘‘panic’’ legal defense strategy; 
Whereas, in July 2019, Megan Rapinoe, an openly lesbian co- 
captain of the United States Women’s National Soccer 
Team, led her team to victory at the Women’s World Cup 
in France; 
Whereas, on September 22, 2019, Billy Porter became the 
first openly gay Black man to win the Emmy for best 
lead actor in a drama series; 
Whereas, on June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that 
title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits 
discrimination on the basis of sex, also applies to sexual 
orientation and gender identity; 
Whereas, in November 2020, more LGBTQIA+ candidates 
ran for office in the United States in 2020 than ever be-
fore—at least 1,006; 
Whereas, in November 2020, Sarah McBride became the first 
openly transgender State senator in the country, making 
her the highest ranking openly transgender public official 
in United States history; 
Whereas, in November 2020, Representatives Ritchie Torres 
and Mondaire Jones, both Members of Congress rep-
resenting New York districts, became the first openly gay 
African Americans ever elected to Congress; 
Whereas, as of January 2021, 29 countries recognized same- 
sex marriage; 
Whereas, on February 18, 2021, Representative David 
Cicilline introduced, in the 117th Congress, H.R. 5, the 
Equality Act, which amends the Nation’s Federal civil 
rights laws to explicitly include sexual orientation and 
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gender identity among the prohibited categories of dis-
crimination in employment, housing, credit, education, 
public accommodation, federally funded programs, and 
jury service; and 
Whereas the inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ per-
sons into United States society continues to expand, with 
an understanding that we will remain steadfast in pur-
suing the goal of complete equality and respect for all, 
regardless of who they love or who they are: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes that lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgender, 
queer, 
intersex, 
and 
asexual 
(LGBTQIA+) rights are human rights and are pro-
tected by the Constitution; 
(2) recognizes that all Americans should be 
treated fairly and equally regardless of sexual ori-
entation or gender identity and that LGBTQIA+ 
history plays an integral role in the history of this 
Nation; 
(3) acknowledges the struggle of the Stonewall 
and Compton’s Cafeteria protesters and countless 
other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 
people for equality; 
(4) encourages the celebration of LGBTQIA+ 
Pride Month to provide a continuing opportunity for 
all people in the United States to learn about the 
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discrimination and inequality that has faced, and 
continues to face, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 
and queer people; and 
(5) agrees that the United States must continue 
to strive to ensure that the promise of equality is re-
alized for all Americans. 
Æ 
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