OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Pride Month

Floor Speech

Date: June 13, 2023
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark Pride Month and to tell members of the LGBTQ community that they are seen, that they are supported, and that they deserve the same rights, responsibilities, and protections as every other American.

That shouldn't be a controversial statement but we know that many LGBTQ Americans face discrimination and are targets of an intensifying effort to deny their right to simply live as their authentic selves.

Pride is a time to celebrate our differences and the diversity that helps make our country great. It is a time to mark the progress that we have made, and it is a time to rededicate ourselves to the unfinished work to achieve freedom and equality for all.

As co-chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, I am continuing to work to pass legislation that will protect benefits for veterans, that will ban the use of so-called panic defenses in Federal court, and will protect Americans from discrimination by passing the Equality Act.

No one chooses to be LGBTQ, but America can choose to continue to have an open mind and an open heart and a commitment to a future that includes everyone, regardless of who we are or whom we love.

I wish everyone a happy Pride Month.

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