Title: Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
This resolution recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and commends the bravery and resiliency of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in the face of violence and discrimination, past and present.
The resolution also condemns violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community and recommits the House of Representatives to securing justice, equality, and well-being for LGBTQ people.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 469 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 469

      Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2019

  Ms. Haaland (for herself, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Pappas, Ms. 
 Schakowsky, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Lowenthal, Mrs. 
Hayes, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Wexton, Ms. Velazquez, 
  Mr. Engel, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Cisneros, Ms. Moore, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
 Pocan, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Titus, Mr. Soto, and Mr. Quigley) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.

Whereas the Stonewall Inn opened on or around March 18, 1967, at 51-53 
        Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York City, New York;
Whereas Greenwich Village and establishments like the Stonewall Inn served as a 
        sanctuary for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and 
        queer (LGBTQ) community from persecution by police and society at large;
Whereas, at that time, many State and local governments, including New York 
        City, criminalized how LGBTQ people expressed their identities and their 
        relationships;
Whereas, at that time, LGBTQ people were frequently harassed by law enforcement, 
        including the New York City Police Department;
Whereas LGBTQ people had begun to stand up to such police harassment, including 
        at Cooper Do-nuts in Los Angeles in 1959, Compton's Cafeteria in San 
        Francisco in 1966, and Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles in 1967;
Whereas, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the New York City Police 
        Department raided the Stonewall Inn and arrested many patrons of the 
        Inn, but brave individuals, particularly transgender women of color, 
        stood up to injustice that night;
Whereas these strong voices sparked an uprising against the police, with 
        confrontations and protests at the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding 
        area lasting until July 3, 1969;
Whereas the Stonewall Uprising empowered thousands of LGBTQ people to emerge 
        from the shadows and come out publicly as they stood up for their 
        community that night, putting their lives and safety at risk;
Whereas, along with public protests in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, 
        Philadelphia, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, and elsewhere, 
        the Stonewall Uprising became a catalyst for the LGBTQ civil rights 
        movement to secure social and political equality and inspired the 
        formation of many advocacy organizations;
Whereas, on June 27 and 28, 1970, members of the LGBTQ community commemorated 
        the first anniversary of Stonewall and reaffirmed the solidarity of the 
        LGBTQ community by organizing the first Pride marches or gatherings in 
        New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles;
Whereas the Stonewall Uprising is remembered and celebrated every year in June 
        during ``LGBTQ Pride Month'';
Whereas, in June 2016, the Stonewall Inn and its surrounding area was declared a 
        National Monument, becoming the first national monument to commemorate 
        the LGBTQ civil rights movement;
Whereas, in June 2019, World Pride will be held for the first time in the United 
        States in New York City to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, bringing 
        representatives of the global LGBTQ community together to recognize 
        these historic events;
Whereas, on May 30, 2019, the government of New York City announced that it 
        would dedicate a monument honoring pioneering transgender activists and 
        key leaders in the Stonewall Uprising, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia 
        Rivera, the first permanent, public monument in the world honoring 
        transgender women;
Whereas, on June 6, 2019, the New York City Police Commissioner issued an 
        official apology on behalf of the New York City Police Department, 
        stating, ``The actions taken by the NYPD were wrong--plain and 
        simple.'';
Whereas, despite the progress made since the Stonewall Uprising, members of the 
        LGBTQ community continue to experience biased policing and are still at 
        significant risk of violence and discrimination;
Whereas according to the annual hate crimes report of the Federal Bureau of 
        Investigation, LGBTQ people, particularly LGBTQ people of color, 
        continue to be the target of bias-motivated violence, and efforts to 
        address this violence may be hindered by a continued lack of trust in 
        law enforcement;
Whereas at least 100 transgender individuals, primarily women of color, have 
        been murdered in the United States since the beginning of 2015; and
Whereas no American should have to fear being the target of violence because of 
        who they are or who they love: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall 
        Uprising;
            (2) condemns violence and discrimination against members of 
        the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) 
        community and recommits itself to securing justice, equality, 
        and well-being for LGBTQ people; and
            (3) commends the bravery, solidarity, and resiliency of the 
        LGBTQ community in the face of violence and discrimination, 
        both past and present.
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