IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 854 
Affirming a commitment to elevate the voices, leadership, and needs of histori-
cally and currently disenfranchised and underserved communities in the 
effort to end sexual violence and support all survivors of sexual violence, 
including immigrant survivors, survivors with disabilities, survivors of 
color, survivors of child sexual abuse, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 
transgender survivors. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2018 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. CLARK 
of Massachusetts, Mr. NOLAN, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New 
Mexico, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mrs. DINGELL, Mrs. TORRES, Mr. ELLISON, 
Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. BISHOP 
of Georgia, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. HASTINGS, 
Ms. ESTY of Connecticut, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. SIRES, 
Mr. COHEN, Ms. MOORE, and Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Work-
force, 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 
Affirming a commitment to elevate the voices, leadership, 
and needs of historically and currently disenfranchised 
and underserved communities in the effort to end sexual 
violence and support all survivors of sexual violence, in-
cluding immigrant survivors, survivors with disabilities, 
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survivors of color, survivors of child sexual abuse, and 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender survivors. 
Whereas sexual violence is a tool of oppression and a form 
of discrimination that can deprive individuals of equal ac-
cess to educational opportunities; 
Whereas discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimi-
nation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, 
sex stereotypes, pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, 
childbirth, and related medical conditions; 
Whereas the 2015 United States Transgender Survey found 
that— 
(1) 47 percent of transgender people are sexually as-
saulted; and 
(2) among transgender people of color, 65 percent of 
Native Americans, 59 percent of multiracial people, 58 
percent of Middle Eastern people, and 53 percent of Afri-
can Americans are likely to have been sexually assaulted; 
Whereas the 2010 Centers for Disease Control National Inti-
mate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found that— 
(1) 44 percent of lesbians and 61 percent of bisexual 
women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by 
an intimate partner, compared to 35 percent of hetero-
sexual women; and 
(2) 40 percent of gay men and 47 percent of bisex-
ual men have experienced sexual violence other than rape, 
compared to 21 percent of heterosexual men; 
Whereas the National Women’s Law Center 2017 Let Her 
Learn Survey found that 38 percent of lesbian, gay, bi-
sexual, or transgender teen girls reported experiencing 
sexual violence compared to 21 percent of all girls; 
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Whereas data reveals that people with disabilities are at an 
increased risk of being sexually assaulted; 
Whereas according to End Rape on Campus, children with 
disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than children with-
out disabilities to be sexually abused; 
Whereas according to the Vera Institute of Justice, 83 per-
cent of women and 32 percent of men with cognitive dis-
abilities reported being victims of sexual assault; 
Whereas women of all races and ethnicities face some risk of 
sexual assault, and according to the 2010 Centers for 
Disease Control National Intimate Partner and Sexual 
Violence Survey, 33 percent of multiracial non-Hispanic 
women, nearly 27 percent of indigenous women, 22 per-
cent of Black women, nearly 19 percent of White non- 
Hispanic women, more than 14 percent of Hispanic 
women, and 7 percent of Asian American and Pacific Is-
lander women in the United States have experienced 
rape; 
Whereas according to a research report by the National Insti-
tute of Justice, 56.1 percent of American Indian and 
Alaska Native women have experienced sexual violence; 
Whereas sexual violence also affects adolescent girls, and ac-
cording to the National Women’s Law Center 2017 Let 
Her Learn Survey, 1 in 5 girls aged 14 to 18 has been 
kissed or touched without consent, including 24 percent 
of Latina girls, 23 percent of Native American girls, and 
22 percent of Black girls; 
Whereas studies show that sexual violence is an under-
reported crime, indicating that the rates of sexual vio-
lence may be even higher than these estimates; 
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Whereas too many survivors from historically and currently 
disenfranchised and underserved communities are ig-
nored, blamed, and cast aside when seeking support after 
experiencing a form of sexual violence; 
Whereas, according to the Department of Justice, 31 percent 
of young women in the juvenile justice system have been 
sexually abused; 
Whereas youth of color, youth with disabilities, and youth 
who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or 
gender non-conforming are overrepresented in the child 
welfare system; 
Whereas, according to the GLSEN 2015 National School Cli-
mate Survey— 
(1) 59.6 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgen-
der, and queer (referred to in this preamble as 
‘‘LGBTQ’’) secondary students have been sexually har-
assed at school and are more likely to experience sexual 
harassment than non-LGBTQ students; and 
(2) students with nontraditional gender expression 
are more likely to experience sexual harassment than stu-
dents with traditional gender expression; 
Whereas high-quality sexuality education is critical in the ef-
fort to eliminate sexual violence by teaching young people 
about sexual assault, harassment, and consent; 
Whereas less than half of all high schools and only 20 per-
cent of middle schools in the United States teach all of 
the topics identified by the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention as important sexual health education top-
ics; 
Whereas, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National 
Network, there is an increased likelihood that an indi-
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vidual will suffer from suicidal or depressive thoughts 
after experiencing sexual violence; 
Whereas, at a time of prioritized mass detention and deporta-
tion and the rescinding of the Deferred Action for Child-
hood Arrivals Program, it is less safe for immigrants to 
report sexual violence; 
Whereas a history of systemic inequality and discrimination 
as well as incomplete solutions has resulted in a lack of 
resources to meet the needs of diverse survivor popu-
lations; 
Whereas according to the National Alliance to End Sexual 
Violence— 
(1) there is a lack of resources for sexual violence 
prevention for youth; 
(2) many rape crisis centers have waiting lists for 
prevention programs; and 
(3) more investment is needed in the Rape Preven-
tion and Education Program; 
Whereas April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month; 
Whereas sexual violence will only end if survivors of color, 
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender survivors, sur-
vivors with disabilities, and immigrant survivors are re-
spected and supported; 
Whereas current support systems mandated by Federal law 
for survivors of sexual violence are neither comprehensive 
nor fully representative of the vast and pervasive ele-
ments within rape culture; and 
Whereas Congress is working to confront pervasive sexual vi-
olence in the workplace, in schools, and in every area of 
life: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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(1) affirms a commitment to elevate the voices, 
leadership, and needs of historically and currently 
disenfranchised and underserved communities in the 
effort to end sexual violence and support all sur-
vivors of sexual violence, including immigrant sur-
vivors, survivors with disabilities, survivors of color, 
American Indian or Alaska Native survivors, queer 
and intersex survivors, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
and transgender survivors; 
(2) supports efforts to raise awareness of the 
history of sexual violence prevention programs; 
(3) calls upon this Chamber to— 
(A) give priority to the needs of survivors 
of sexual violence and demonstrate proactive 
leadership in the effort to end sexual violence; 
and 
(B) reject rollbacks of protections against 
harassment under— 
(i) title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), which 
prohibits discrimination in education pro-
grams based on race, color, or national ori-
gin; 
(ii) title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.), which pro-
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hibits discrimination in employment based 
on race, color, national origin, sex (includ-
ing sexual orientation and gender identity), 
or religion; 
(iii) title IX of the Education Amend-
ments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), 
which prohibits discrimination in education 
programs based on sex, including sexual 
orientation, 
gender 
identity, 
and 
transgender status; 
(iv) titles I and II of the Americans 
with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
12111 et seq.), which prohibit discrimina-
tion based on disability in employment and 
public schools, respectively; and 
(v) section 504 of the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), which pro-
hibits discrimination based on disability in 
education programs; 
(4) affirms that— 
(A) title IX of the Education Amendments 
of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), title II of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 12131 et seq.), section 504 of the Reha-
bilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), and 
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title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) intersect; and 
(B) to address sexual violence in an edu-
cational setting, these comprehensive civil rights 
laws must be viewed as intersecting and per-
taining to both sexual violence and educational 
access; 
(5) affirms the pursuit of legislative solutions 
that— 
(A) address the unique needs and experi-
ences of survivors of sexual violence from his-
torically and currently disenfranchised and un-
derserved communities; 
(B) allocate resources based on the needs 
and vulnerability of diverse survivor popu-
lations; and 
(C) allocate resources for disaggregated re-
search initiatives that shed light on the dis-
proportionate levels of sexual violence and the 
impact of sexual violence on diverse survivor 
populations; and 
(6) calls upon the executive branch to faithfully 
and robustly enforce laws that protect survivors of 
sexual violence and communities at higher risk of 
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