HONORING PRIDE MONTH

On 2026-06-30, Representative Emily Randall (D-WA-6) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING PRIDE MONTH" in the House.

HONORING PRIDE MONTH

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 109 (Tuesday, June 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 30, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4350-H4353] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING PRIDE MONTH (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Takano of California was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. General Leave Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to submit extraneous material into the Record. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California? There was no objection. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the conclusion of Pride Month. Pride is, and always has been, a protest. From the Stonewall Uprising to the neighborhood parades, Pride is about both standing up for equality and celebrating our authentic selves. When we celebrate Pride, we make a demand. We demand the right to live and love openly. We demand to be treated equally and fairly under the law. We demand dignity. First and foremost, we demand equality. This Congress, under Republican control, the House of Representatives has taken more than 20 votes to attack the rights of LGBTQI+ Americans and particularly the rights of transgender Americans. Even after all those votes, not one major anti-LGBTQI+ piece of legislation has become law. Members of the Congressional Equality Caucus have fought hard to fight back against all these attacks. Thanks to our work, we were able to remove every new anti-LGBTQI+ rider from the government funding bills for fiscal year 2026. House Republicans tried to add dozens of these new riders, and we were able to defeat every one. We plan to do it again for fiscal year 2027, but the Trump administration's relentlessness has still had countless terrible impacts on our community. Under Donald Trump, transgender Americans' access to healthcare is under direct attack. The arms of the Federal Government tasked with enforcing America's rights, like the EEOC, are being sabotaged and forced to target the rights of the very Americans they are meant to protect. Transgender servicemembers are being carelessly kicked out of the military without regard for their merits and accomplishments or the military's operational security. Critical funding and research to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemics are being recklessly cut, and so much more. Mr. Speaker, to the LGBTQI+ people watching right now, know that we are still fighting for you. As chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, I assure the American people that my colleagues and I are fighting back against these attacks at every turn in Congress. We are conducting oversight of Trump administration officials and demanding accountability from those who violate LGBTQI+ Americans' rights. As we close out Pride Month, I stand with our allies across the country in reminding LGBTQI+ people that we are fighting for you. We will not give up until every person is fully free to be themselves without fear of discrimination, harassment, or violence. I wish all of you a happy Pride. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Randall), my colleague and co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Pride Month ending today for most of the country, but still ongoing in our great State of Washington, where we just can't get enough. I am also rising today to honor the resolution that I introduced alongside Representative Green, a longtime champion for LGBTQ equality. LGBTQ people have been dutifully serving in our military for decades. We are your neighbors. We are your elected officials, teachers, mentors, and friends. Despite Republicans' unrelenting attempts to erase queer and trans people from our history books, from our public spaces, and from our military, LGBTQ Americans are standing strong in our truth. That is the beauty of Pride Month and why I am so proud to introduce this resolution today to honor the many contributions of LGBTQ Americans to our country, contributions which are outlined in this resolution, so that no matter what attacks come on our government websites and in agencies across the executive branch, we will still have the story of so many brave LGBTQ leaders. Who knows when the majority party will be organized enough to move the NDAA through the House, but we know when it does come, it will come with several anti-LGBTQ amendments that have absolutely no business being attached to the overall package. Our Republican colleagues talk a lot about protecting our freedoms yet spend so much time trying to strip freedoms away from LGBTQ Americans, like the freedom to access healthcare by stripping TRICARE coverage for medically necessary, lifesaving care for trans people, and even taking away mental health coverage from trans kids and the freedom to [[Page H4351]] serve our country by moving to codify Trump's ban on trans servicemembers. There are thousands of trans people who are willing to die to protect our country, but Trump, Vance, Hegseth, and House Republicans want to ban them from serving, or even the freedom for kids to participate in sports without being subjected to invasive and traumatizing exams to determine their gender before they can put on a jersey. {time} 1820 I would like to see some of my colleagues experience what a transvaginal ultrasound feels like. For a kid who is a survivor of sexual assault or trauma, or even one who is not, it is incredibly painful and traumatizing. These actions are all part of a larger pattern we are seeing at the State level, across the country, by this administration, by House and Senate GOP leadership, and even by our activist Supreme Court, to attack and villainize LGBTQ Americans. I want to be clear. The NDAA amendments do absolutely nothing to strengthen our military readiness or improve the lives of everyday Americans. Like everyone else, LGBTQ people want to afford childcare and housing, and have access to healthcare, and be able to contribute to an economy that works for all of us. I look forward to a day where Members of Congress drop this bizarre and personal vendetta against queer and trans people and get back to working on real issues: to lower costs, ensure we all have healthcare and housing and childcare, and make America the country we know it can be. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), vice chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, as we close out Pride Month, I am proud to join my Equality Caucus colleagues this evening in standing up for the LGBTQ+ community and recognizing their invaluable contributions to our Nation. My south Florida district is home to one of the most diverse and vibrant LGBTQ+ communities in the entire country. It is a privilege to fight for them every single day here in Washington and push back against the heinous smear campaign driven by extremist, rightwing, culture warriors. Unfortunately, Florida is a national staging ground to roll back the rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community. From the repulsive ``Don't Say Gay'' law, to some of the more vicious trans attacks, Florida is ground zero for hate. It hasn't stopped. Earlier this year, funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, or ADAP, which assists low-income Floridians living with HIV and AIDS to afford their medication and insurance premiums, was slashed. Over 12,000 Floridians braced themselves to be kicked off of this lifesaving program. I proudly led all of my Florida Democratic colleagues in demanding the Governor and the Department of Health and Human Services reverse these changes, and many organizations and leaders rallied to restore this vital funding as well. Thankfully, it brought some relief. The Federal Government established a temporary special enrollment period for Florida ADAP patients to switch health plans. Last month, Florida lawmakers averted these disastrous ADAP cuts in its fiscal year 2027 budget. Let me be clear. This was an entirely preventable crisis created by Governor DeSantis to harm Florida's LGBTQ+ community. It is an utter disgrace, and I will always call it out. I am proud to be a founding member and vice chair of the Equality Caucus and an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, to expand the Civil Rights Act, to ban discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. These attacks are relentless. As a senior House appropriator, I will always lead the charge against hateful, anti-LGBTQ+ policies and riders that peddle hate and do nothing to make life more affordable for Americans. As ranking member of the Appropriations Committee Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I was able to end the ban on Pride flags from flying at VA facilities. Several weeks ago, Republicans advanced a partisan Labor-H funding bill out of the House Appropriations Committee that decimates domestic HIV and AIDS research and prevention programs across the Federal Government. It even eliminates funding for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative championed by President Trump himself in his first term. This callous indifference shown by my Republican colleagues is astonishing, and that is why we must relentlessly fight the never- ending hate because it has no place in this country. Mr. Speaker, thanks to brave freedom fighters, LGBTQ+ rights have come a long way. It was only 11 years ago that the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to marriage equality for same-sex couples. Yet, now, almost a decade later, insidious and hateful forces try to chip away at this and other landmark gains made by gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals, but we won't let them take us back. Ins