PRINTER'S NO. 3060
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 422
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY BENHAM, KENYATTA, MAYES, SALISBURY, SCOTT, SMITH-
WADE-EL, PIELLI, WAXMAN, PROBST, HILL-EVANS, BRENNAN,
HOHENSTEIN, HOWARD, McNEILL, WARREN, DONAHUE, VENKAT, ABNEY,
KINSEY, RABB, KHAN, SANCHEZ, ROZZI, MALAGARI, DELLOSO,
CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, CIRESI, KIM, BOROWSKI, OTTEN, KRAJEWSKI,
BURGOS, FRANKEL, CONKLIN, SAPPEY, SHUSTERMAN, GIRAL, FLEMING,
MADSEN, MERSKI, KINKEAD, O'MARA AND D. MILLER, MAY 6, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 6, 2024
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the month of June 2024 as "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Our Commonwealth was founded on the principles of
4 freedom, fairness and tolerance; and
5 WHEREAS, Through military service, in debates and
6 demonstrations, at the polls and in countless other acts of
7 democracy, Pennsylvanians have consistently defended these
8 principles; and
9 WHEREAS, Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer
10 or questioning (LGBTQ+) Pennsylvanians and their allies have had
11 significant roles in the economic, cultural, spiritual and
12 political development of this Commonwealth while working
13 tirelessly to maintain and promote culture and history; and
14 WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has been the site of many pivotal
15 moments in LGBTQ+ history; and
 1 WHEREAS, The activism that has been vital for promoting
2 tolerance and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community has flourished
3 in this Commonwealth; and
4 WHEREAS, On April 25, 1965, borrowing a strategy associated
5 with the African-American civil rights movement, a group of
6 gender-variant persons of color organized a sit-in to protest
7 discrimination toward LGBTQ+ individuals at Dewey's lunch
8 counter in Philadelphia; and
9 WHEREAS, This event has been recognized as the first LGBTQ+
10 sit-in in the nation and one of the first demonstrations
11 launched with the goal of protecting the dignity of LGBTQ+
12 individuals; and
13 WHEREAS, The Annual Reminder marches held in front of the
14 Liberty Bell on Independence Day from 1965 through 1969 drew
15 national attention to the LGBTQ+ community's struggle for
16 liberty and equality; and
17 WHEREAS, Initiatives in keeping with the Dewey's lunch
18 counter and Annual Reminder demonstrations have generated
19 greater inclusion among LGBTQ+ Americans in their respective
20 communities; and
21 WHEREAS, Commonwealth agencies and officers have
22 traditionally been on the forefront of LGBTQ+ recognition,
23 regardless of which political party has been in control; and
24 WHEREAS, In 1975, Governor Milton Shapp issued the first
25 Statewide resolution in the nation recognizing LGBTQ+ equality;
26 and
27 WHEREAS, In 1976, Governor Shapp established the Pennsylvania
28 Council for Sexual Minorities, the first governmental body in
29 the nation to examine LGBTQ+ issues; and
30 WHEREAS, In 1979, Governor Richard Thornburgh became the
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 1 first Republican governor in the nation to issue a Statewide
2 resolution recognizing LGBTQ+ equality; and
3 WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians remain committed to advancing LGBTQ+
4 inclusion and quality of life; and
5 WHEREAS, This Commonwealth is home to Philadelphia Gay News,
6 the oldest continually published magazine devoted to LGBTQ+
7 issues; and
8 WHEREAS, The John C. Anderson Apartments in Philadelphia, one
9 of the nation's first affordable LGBTQ+ elder housing
10 facilities, and the Persad Center in Pittsburgh, the second
11 oldest licensed counseling center serving the LGBTQ+ community
12 and people living with HIV, offer additional resources; and
13 WHEREAS, The month of June is recognized worldwide as "LGBTQ+
14 Pride Month" to commemorate the Stonewall riots in New York
15 City, considered to be a turning point in the fight for global
16 LGBTQ+ equality; and
17 WHEREAS, "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" highlights the work, struggles,
18 accomplishments and challenges of LGBTQ+ individuals in this
19 Commonwealth and beyond; and
20 WHEREAS, As a celebration of diversity, "LGBTQ+ Pride Month"
21 reflects this Commonwealth's unique history of welcoming and
22 securing equal treatment for all individuals and adds greatly to
23 the social inclusion and economic health and well-being of our
24 communities; and
25 WHEREAS, With increasing anti-LGBTQ+ hate, the House of
26 Representatives must show now more than ever that we stand in
27 solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and that they deserve to be
28 visible and heard; and
29 WHEREAS, More work needs to be done to eliminate
30 discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community; therefore be it
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1 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
2 month of June 2024 as "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" in Pennsylvania.
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