Equal Rights for All

Floor Speech

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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle for extending the time tonight. I am very grateful to the staffs who have helped us with the preparation for this evening's activities.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here this evening for many reasons. One of the reasons has to do with today being a very special day. Today is Flag Day. Flag Day is a day for us to honor the flag of the United States of America, which is one of the reasons I am wearing my flag tie. I want people to know that I am proud to be an American, and I am proud to honor the flag and to salute the flag. Flag Day is a date that we honor the flag for its adoption back on June 14, 1777.

I say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, and I say it proudly. I say it proudly because it means something to me--each word means something to me--to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

``With liberty and justice for all'' are words of great importance tonight, and they are important because of some circumstances that have occurred in other parts of our country. We have had some tragic circumstances to befall some persons in Florida. I was reared in Florida. I went to Florida A&M University. I went to elementary school and high school in Florida.

Florida means something to me, but the people there are most important, because the people of Florida are people of goodwill, people who mean well, people who enjoy themselves. Florida is a vacation spot, if you will. Because so many people come there to vacation, it is expected that they would have the opportunity to enjoy themselves, to go out and be a part of the nightlife. We have Disney World in Florida, many attractions to attract people from around the country to Florida.

Unfortunately, some things have happened there recently that are going to cause us to pause for a moment as we, tonight, will celebrate, to a certain extent, commemorate, LGBT Pride Month. LGBT Pride Month, celebrate and commemorate this month. But we will also memorialize some of the things that have happened in terms of lives that have been lost.

I am proud tonight to note that there will be a Member joining me who has had some circumstances occur in his State that he will call to our attention that will have to be memorialized, and persons will have to be remembered for the services that they have given, but also because they lost their lives.

I am proud to ask my colleague to come over now, the Honorable Jim Clyburn, and ask him to give his comments. He is a leader in this Congress. He is a person who stands for justice for all, as is indicated in the flag, ``liberty and justice for all.'' He stands for this.

After the incident that took place in Mr. Clyburn's State, I remember a lady who lost her child indicating at the probable cause hearing, ``I forgive you. I forgive you,'' speaking to the person who had committed this deed. ``I forgive you.'' She lost her child, but she forgave. But I believe that people who forgive still have an expectation that things will be done. Mr. Clyburn, I am proud to say, is one who has legislation that can be of benefit to all. Not to some, but to all.

I am proud to yield the floor now to our leader, the Honorable Jim Clyburn.

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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Clyburn, before you step away, with reference to the letter from the Birmingham jail, which I agree with you, is one of the greatest literary works that I have had an opportunity to read, it becomes especially important when you understand how Dr. King actually produced it. He did not have a library. He did not have persons to assist him. It is my understanding that he was able to slip notes out to people who would come and visit him, and they compiled these notes into the letter.

I want to mention this. Those clergy people that you talk about, in that letter that they wrote, if you read it first, you will see a line of logic that many people abide with, that many people of that time and this time would find very reasonable. It is after you get into Dr. King's message where he dissects each and every point that they make one by one by one that you realize that there is something not only special about Dr. King--and there is something very special about him--but that this was a seminal moment in time.

It was a seminal moment in time in that Dr. King was educating all of us in the eons to come about the evils of bigotry and hatred. Those warnings that he gave us and the lessons, he takes us back into Biblical Scriptures about those who, at that time in the biblical days, were considered outside educators. No one is an outside educator if you come for righteous reasons.

So I am mentioning this to you because I have a great appreciation for that letter as well, and I am pleased that you brought it up.

As you know, tonight our theme is: You are not alone. I greatly appreciate what you have said about the LGBTQ community, because we want them to know they are not alone. We are allies, we are friends. We are people on whom they depend. And we do so because of a debt we owe, to a certain extent. We didn't get here by ourselves. Someone suffered and sacrificed so that we could have this opportunity to stand in the Congress of the United States of America, and indeed to breathe the breath of freedom we have because of others. And they are not alone. I appreciate what you have said about the LGBTQ community. If you have additional commentary, I would welcome it.

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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I will add to what you have just said, Mr. Clyburn. When you are not alone and you have some people to show up, it means something. But there are people who believe that everybody has to show up for something significant to occur. This would take us to the eighth chapter of the Book of Judges and a man named Gideon.

The evidence has shown us--you and I, Mr. Clyburn--that there are times when you can have too many people to get a job done. You don't have to have everybody to have the genesis of a movement. You don't have to have every person in Congress to sign onto something to have that become the genesis of the movement.

If you get enough people to sign on, what you have can be heard in this Congress. And that is called a discharge petition. There are some pieces of legislation right now that are pending with discharge possibilities.

What we have to do is take a few people, just as Gideon did; make enough noise, as he did; have a righteous cause, as he did; have a means of weeding out some of the people who may not be ready for the work that has to be done, and then work with those who are ready to work.

I believe that we can do great things in this Congress, understanding that we don't have to have everyone on board to have the genesis of a great movement.

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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the bill that you speak of, Mr. Clyburn, H.R. 4063, that is Mr. Cicilline's bill, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act; and that merely says, if you have been convicted of vandalizing a place of worship or assaulting someone based on their race, their religion, their gender, their sexual orientation, their gender identity or disability, then you ought not be able to buy a weapon.

Who believes that persons who have been convicted of these offenses ought to be able to buy weapons? If you believe that they should, then I am going to respect your opinion, but we ought to be able to debate those opinions on the floor of the United States Congress.

We don't have to win the vote. The people of this country expect us to at least do that, however. They expect us to vote. And what Mr. Clyburn is saying, and what many others have been saying, the clarion call, the hue and cry, is let's have a vote and let's have a debate. Let the debate precede the vote. Let us make some comments about these bills, and let's let the American people have an opportunity to judge why each of us holds a position with reference to this kind of legislation. That is not asking too much.

I respect my friends who have opinions different from mine. I don't, in any way, badger people who have opinions that are different from my opinions. But I do respect people even more when they are willing to stand in the well of the Congress of the United States of America and state their position and allow others to state theirs. And then, afterwards, have that vote, and let's let the American people know where the Congress stands, based upon empirical evidence and based upon arguments that have been presented, so that people can get a greater understanding and get greater clarity.

Another of the bills is the one that you have, Mr. Clyburn, H.R. 3051, the Background Check Completion Act. ``Completion,'' that is the operative word. Completion Act. Let the background check be completed before a person buys a firearm.

Now, if you differ with this, okay. Then let's bring this to the floor, state your difference, and let the American people know how we stand, where we stand, and then have a vote. That will make a difference for everybody in this country because people will know that the Congress of the United States is functional. There are many who believe that we are not functioning right now.

The final of the three that the gentleman mentioned is H.R. 1076. This is denying firearms and explosives to dangerous terrorists. Now, this is a bill that is being sponsored by the Honorable Peter King. He is a Republican.

So the point to be made is that we have bipartisan legislation that can't get to the floor for a debate and then a vote. That is what we believe ought to happen. There ought to be a debate and a vote on these pieces of legislation that deal with what we believe to be legislation that can save some lives. It won't save all lives, no legislation will, but it can save some lives.

Well, someone would say that is not enough. One life is enough, to be quite honest with you. One life is enough. And to lose any life because we haven't acted is to lose too many.

At the end of the day, after having lost 49 lives in Orlando, do we want it said that after all was said and done, more was said than done? Or nothing was done and all was said? Is that what we want our legacy to be, that we did not act on pending legislation that could have made a difference for the people of the Nation?

Surely, asking for a vote, asking for debate, asking for an opportunity to be heard is not asking too much.

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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am so honored tonight to mention again that this is a resolution that we have on the floor, H. Res. 772. This is the LGBTQ Pride Month legislation, and I am honored that it is on this day, which is Flag Day, because the flag speaks to liberty and justice for all--not liberty and justice for some, not liberty and justice for some of a certain hue, not liberty and justice for some of a certain religion, but, rather, liberty and justice for all, regardless of your race, your creed, your color, your sexuality, liberty and justice for all, regardless of your religious affiliation-- liberty and justice for all.

I assure you that the American people expect no less than what we pledge allegiance to, the flag of the United States of America. So I am honored tonight that we have this resolution.

This resolution is one that speaks to the accomplishments and the successes of the LGBTQ community. And there are accomplishments and successes that we should mention, notwithstanding the circumstance that we are, unfortunately, having to deal with at this time. There are these accomplishments and these successes. Let me just name a few of them as we move along.

First, I would like to mention the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a significant piece of legislation, a great success for America. However, the beneficiaries are persons who are discriminated against, who are harmed because of who they are.

People do that in this country. We have people who will hurt you and take your life, as has been evidenced recently, because of who you are.

This Congress took action and passed this law to say that, if you do this, whatever the punishment was, we will enhance it. We will make this punishment greater because you ought not target people because of who they are.

Someone would say, well, why would we want to enhance the punishment for this reason?

Here is the response. Here is the retort. Because we do it if you are a person in a blue uniform. You hurt a peace officer in the State of Texas, because he or she is a peace officer, your punishment is going to be enhanced.

There is nothing wrong with that. I celebrate that. That is why I celebrate the passage of this piece of legislation, the Matthew Shepherd and James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act. This is an accomplishment that the LGBTQ community as well as other communities and all should celebrate.

Of course, there is Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Can you imagine, as a heterosexual person, having to hide who you are every day of your life, having to be incognito in a sense, under an assumed identity, cannot be authentic, cannot be yourself? Can you imagine what that would be like?

That's what Don't Ask, Don't Tell was all about, asking people to hide your identity. Don't tell anybody who you are. And if you don't tell anybody who you are, we will let you die for the country. We will let you go into harm's way and die as long as you won't tell people who you are.

And I thank President Obama. When we eliminated Don't Ask, Don't Tell, we liberated a lot of people. One in particular that I am sure felt liberation was the Honorable Eric Fanning, because he now is the first openly gay Secretary of the Army.

Can you imagine how many persons with talents that could have benefited our country were overlooked as a result of Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

Some people refused to participate in that kind of system. So I am proud that this country has stepped away from this, because every person ought to be allowed to be himself or herself.

Every person was created by the same Creator. We know the Creator by many names, but by any name, the Creator is the one that created all that is and ever shall be. And each one of us is a creation of the Creator of the universe, and we all should be proud of who we are because we all owe allegiance to the same Creator.

I am proud to announce that 2012 was the first year that all 50 States had at least one LGBTQ elected official.

I remember many years ago, as an African American, how proud I was when I could read annually that we had persons who were getting elected across the country to various positions who were of African ancestry. I was so proud that they were getting elected because I knew that we were making progress; I knew that there was a certain amount of acceptance taking place.

This is what is happening with the LGBTQ community by having elected officials in all 50 States who can say ``I am proud to be who I am,'' who can be authentic.

This is what America is all about, liberty and justice for all, pledge of allegiance to the flag, Flag Day. That is what this is all about: this country honoring who you are, letting you succeed on your merits and fail on your demerits, not based upon who you are.

Unfortunately, I will tell you this, there are still some places in this country where members of the LGBTQ community are discriminated against openly and notoriously. Twenty-eight States still allow someone to be fired for being gay--for that alone. Show up and tell, show up and don't pretend, show up with a friend, and you could be fired in 28 States in this country.

I think that, among all of the legislation that we talk about, this is something that the Congress ought to address. No one should be fired because of who you are, because of what God has made you. You ought not be fired for that.

In 30 States, you can be fired for being a transgender person. In 28 States, you don't have protections for sexuality under housing discrimination laws, meaning, if someone believes or concludes or has evidence that you are a part of the LGBTQ community, then you can be discriminated against in housing.

Is that the way a great country that I love, that has the notion of liberty and justice for all in the pledge of allegiance behaves? Do we allow this to continue?

America stands for justice, stands for liberty, and it stands for it for all. It is time for us to extend all of the liberty and justice that I and others might have to the members of the LGBTQ community.

I am an ally of this community, and because I am an ally, I am proud that the Supreme Court decided that marriage between same-sex couples should take place.

The Constitution of the United States of America was not written for heterosexuals only. The 14th Amendment applies to people, not to sexuality. The 14th Amendment and the Constitution is something that is precious for all of us, and the Supreme Court has so said that these marriages between couples of the same sex have to be recognized and the licenses have to be issued. This is what allies of the LGBTQ community will call to the attention of persons on occasions such as this.

I am also proud to tell you that we who are allies of the LGBTQ community are of the opinion that we can make some of these changes. We know that we can make these changes because we have done so before. We have passed legislation after horrific events in this country. Because we have done it before, we can do it again; because we did it with the Civil Rights Act of 1968. It took us 7 days in the Congress of the United States of America to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1968 after the assassination of Dr. King.

We had 49 people assassinated in Orlando, Florida. Something can be done.

People, some would say: Well, what can be done? That is what we can debate on the floor of the Congress. Let's debate it. Rather than conclude that whatever is said is wrong and you don't deserve a hearing because what you have said is wrong, let's debate it.

We have bills to come before this Congress that we vote up and down on a daily basis. We vote them up or we vote them down. Why not have regular order apply to hate crime legislation? Why not have regular order apply to gun safety legislation? Not gun control--I don't buy into that terminology--gun safety.

But if you think otherwise, then come to the floor, stand in the well, and state your position so that all can hear.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 passed after the assassinations of President Kennedy, Dr. King, and Robert Kennedy. That legislation, I am sure, could have passed at other times, but it didn't. It was after a horrific act, or horrific acts, that it passed.

I think that these lives were important. But the lives of the 49 people who died at Orlando are just as important as these lives that I call to your attention. Every life is precious. We should not allow ourselves to wait until it happens to be somebody that we perceive as being somebody. We ought not have to wait until someone who happens to hold public trust is harmed before we decide we are going to do something.

Every person who is in this country is under the protection of the Constitution of the United States of America. We can debate our issues, but we ought to at least bring them to the floor and let's have a vote on them. I will accept, by the way, the vote. I always do. But I don't accept the notion that you can never have a vote on something because someone else happens to think that it is not worthy of voting on.

I think all opinions have some value, and I think whether bills are presented by the Democrats or the Republicans, they are bills that have merit and bills that ought to receive consideration. Let them go through regular order. Let them come to this floor, and let's debate them.

Of course, the one that many people will remember is the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1994. This was passed following the shooting of President Ronald Reagan.

By the way, I am pleased that we passed all of these things. I believe that we did the right thing. Someone might argue that we could have passed this without the shooting of President Reagan. Thank God the person who attempted to assassinate him was not successful. I am so grateful that he was able to live and serve out his Presidency. But that shooting, that act alone, allowed this Congress to act. It is a known fact that you cannot have an act of Congress if you don't have a Congress willing to act. I am grateful that the Congress was willing to act after the shooting of a President of the United States.

So, because we have done it before, I am convinced that we can do it again, and I am convinced that we should do it again. I believe that this is a seminal moment in time. We have these seminal moments in time--seminal moments, moments that impact all time.

Rosa Parks, when she took that seat, ignited a spark that started a human rights-civil rights movement. That was a seminal moment in time. But there were also people who helped her at that time, which is one of the reasons why we come to the floor tonight, because we are allies of the LGBTQ community.

The African American community at that time had allies. We had people who were willing to stand up for us and stand up with us. When Rosa Parks went to jail, there were people who came to post her bond. The people who bailed Rosa Parks out of jail: Mr. Nixon was African American, but Mr. and Mrs. Durr were not. Mr. and Mrs. Durr were people of goodwill who understood that an injustice was taking place. In fact, Mr. Clifford Durr was a lawyer, and his wife was a noted person in the community. The people who posted the bail to get Rosa Parks out of jail were not all of African ancestry.

So we all have a debt that we owe. I am grateful to Rosa Parks. I wouldn't be here but for the efforts of the Rosa Parks of the world. So I have to repay that debt, and tonight I stand here to give an additional down payment on the debt that I owe that allowed me to be a part of the Congress of the United States of America.

There was the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what was known as Bloody Sunday. Many people lost blood at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. If you haven't been to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, I would invite you to go. Every person ought to see the Edmund Pettus Bridge, because if you can see the Edmund Pettus Bridge, you will understand the level of angst and consternation that persons marching forward had to have as they were going up, knowing that on the other side was the constabulary prepared to do whatever was necessary to force them to go back to their starting point and not to proceed with the march.

Many of the people there with Congressman John Lewis, who said he thought he was going to die, were not African Americans. There were people of all hues at the Edmund Pettus Bridge there to see that justice was done. I owe a debt to the people who were willing to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on that fateful day.

I come to the floor tonight because I understand that I owe this debt. I believe that we owe a debt to those who have made it possible for us to be here, regardless of our hue. And believe me, regardless as to who you are, you owe a debt too. It may be to Patrick Henry: ``Give me liberty or give me death.'' It can be to any number of the Founding Fathers. But you owe a debt to people who made it possible for us to be here in the Congress of the United States of America and to have the liberties and freedoms that we have in this country. We ought to repay the debt so that we can pass on to others what has been passed on to us: a greater sense of freedom and a greater sense of belonging in the greatest country in the world.

I am honored to tell you tonight that this resolution will not pass. I am honored to tell you this, that it will not pass this Congress. But I must be quite candid and tell you that we rarely pass any resolutions in Congress now. So I want to be fair to my friends who are in leadership to let them know that I respect the fact that any resolution, not just this one, would probably get the same results.

But I do believe this: I am honored to tell you that it will pass some Congress. I hope I am here to see it pass. I hope I am here to cast my vote that will have it pass the Congress, that will give it a chance to be heard, and that will let people debate the issues of our time as they relate to this resolution. I hope I am here.

But whether I am here or not, I believe that, at some point, we will look back through the vista of time, and we will reflect upon this time. We will ask ourselves: Who was there? Who was there to stand up for people other than themselves? I want the record to reflect that there were a good many people of goodwill who said to the LGBTQ community: You are not alone. You are not alone. We are with you. We will stand with you, and we will fight injustice with you.

In the end, as Dr. King put it, ``though the arc of the moral universe may be long''--the arc of the moral universe may be long--``it bends toward justice.'' We will bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. There will be justice for the LGBTQ community.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the comments that I have given tonight, I have a statement that I will be submitting for the Record, a statement that speaks to the tragic circumstances that occurred in Orlando, Florida. I will be submitting this for the Record because I want the Record to show that I, along with many of my friends, took a stand.

By the way, many of my friends who are taking a stand are Republicans. Many of my friends who are taking a stand are conservatives, and many of my friends who are taking a stand are persons of goodwill who happen to be Muslims.

By the way, the Muslim community in Houston, Texas, took a stand at the iftar that I attended. The Honorable M. J. Khan, former city council member, was loud and clear. He explained that the Muslim community respects the LGBTQ community, supports that community, and wants to fight for the community to have justice.

Also, I would add that Saeed Sheikh Muhammad was there. He too made similar commentary. So there are persons across the spectrum who are supporting the LGBTQ community. I respect all of these persons, and I appreciate them for what they are doing. I want my statement to reflect that there are those of us who came together and said to the LGBTQ community: You are not alone.

Mr. Speaker, you have been more than generous. I greatly appreciate it. I want to thank my colleague who appeared. I want to thank the many colleagues who could not appear because of circumstances associated with an event that is taking place tonight. But I know that their hearts are here, and I know that they will do what they can at an appropriate time to make sure that the LGBTQ community understands and knows that the community is not alone.

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