IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 263 
Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day Against Homophobia 
and Transphobia. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2015 
Ms. LEE (for herself, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Ms. 
JUDY CHU of California, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. NORTON, 
Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. 
TAKANO, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. TONKO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 
SPEIER, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. PERLMUTTER, 
Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. POCAN, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. 
HASTINGS, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. POLIS, Mr. NADLER, Ms. 
SLAUGHTER, Mr. O’ROURKE, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, 
Mr. ENGEL, Mr. HONDA, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. 
KUSTER, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. 
CARSON of Indiana, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. KILMER, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. FARR, 
Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. GRAYSON, Mr. HIMES, Mr. PETERS, 
Ms. PINGREE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. TITUS, Mr. 
QUIGLEY, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. EDWARDS, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. 
BASS, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. 
FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, and Ms. WILSON of Florida) 
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 the Workforce, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 and Transphobia. 
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•HRES 263 IH 
Whereas at least 9,000,000 Americans identify as lesbian, 
gay, 
bisexual, 
or 
transgender 
(LGBT), 
including 
2,500,000 who are school-age youth; 
Whereas, according to a February 2013 report by the Wil-
liams Institute, an estimated 3,000,000 LGBT Ameri-
cans have had a child and as many as 6,000,000 Amer-
ican children and adults have a LGBT parent; 
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, homophobia and transphobia contribute to 
disparities in physical and mental health indicators such 
as depression, substance use, cancer, and experiences of 
abuse and violence; 
Whereas the Centers further report that homophobia and 
transphobia limit an individual’s ability to access high- 
quality health care and negatively affects such individ-
ual’s income and employment status; 
Whereas homophobia and transphobia are associated with mi-
nority stress that may underlie sexual behaviors that can 
increase risk of HIV and AIDS transmission, and also 
create additional barriers for LGBT individuals to access 
prevention and treatment for HIV and AIDS; 
Whereas, according to the Global Commission on HIV and 
the Law, homophobia and transphobia contributes to dis-
proportionately high rates of HIV among men who have 
sex with men and transgender women; 
Whereas, according to a 2011 survey by the Gay, Lesbian & 
Straight Education Network, 8 out of 10 students who 
identify as LGBT were harassed at school in the past 
year due to their sexual orientation, 64 percent felt un-
safe at school, and 30 percent skipped an entire day of 
school in the past month because of safety concerns; 
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•HRES 263 IH 
Whereas youth who are LGBT or are perceived to identify as 
LGBT are more likely to smoke, use alcohol and drugs, 
skip school, or engage in other risky behaviors, and 
LGBT youth account for up to 40 percent of approxi-
mately 2,000,000 homeless youth who are likely to lack 
access to health care and develop stress-related disorders; 
Whereas youth who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are 
four times more likely to attempt suicide, and youth who 
are questioning their sexual orientation are three times 
more likely to attempt suicide, as compared to their het-
erosexual counterparts; 
Whereas 
percent 
of 
Americans 
who 
identify 
as 
transgender have attempted suicide, and 19 percent re-
port refusal of medical care; 
Whereas LGBT families are often not granted equal access 
to health insurance and are more likely to live in poverty; 
Whereas anti-LGBT violence is the third most frequent bias 
crime, and among those reporting this crime, transgender 
women, people of color, and youth faced the most severe 
violence as a result of the crime; 
Whereas 76 countries still criminalize homosexuality, and 
LGBT people in these countries face violence, increased 
discrimination, and blackmail; 
Whereas, according to a recent study across 15 countries, 
transgender women were nearly 50 times more likely to 
have HIV, and there were 1,509 reported killings of 
transgender people in 61 countries between 2008 and 
2014; and 
Whereas the European Parliament and other international 
bodies observe May 17 as an International Day Against 
Homophobia and Transphobia: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 263 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of an Inter-
national Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia; 
(2) encourages the Federal Government, States, 
localities, nonprofit organizations, schools, and com-
munity organizations to observe the day with appro-
priate programs and activities, with the goal of in-
creasing public knowledge of homophobia and 
transphobia and empowering communities to cele-
brate and respect their diversity; 
(3) encourages health care providers to offer 
culturally and clinically competent care to the LGBT 
community, schools to support the creation of gay- 
straight alliances to achieve safer learning environ-
ments, and individuals to learn about national re-
sources for those who identify as LGBT; and 
(4) encourages the Federal Government, States, 
international funding organizations, and U.S. bilat-
eral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the 
health and human rights of LGBT people. 
Æ 
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