[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 52 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 52
Recognizing and honoring the work of community organizations and
individuals who create and maintain services and educational programs
for marginalized groups ensuring the resilience and prosperity of
members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2025
Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Espaillat, Ms.
Velazquez, Ms. Norton, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Titus, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Ms. Sewell,
Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr.
Doggett, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Swalwell, and Mr. Carson)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing and honoring the work of community organizations and
individuals who create and maintain services and educational programs
for marginalized groups ensuring the resilience and prosperity of
members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Whereas LGBTQIA+ community spaces provide critical environments, both
historically and in the present, where individuals of diverse sexual
orientations and gender identities can express themselves authentically,
free from discrimination, violence, or judgment, while fostering a sense
of belonging, mental and emotional well-being, and community support,
and have served as incubators for cultural expression, social activism,
and education on issues of equality and justice;
Whereas the term ``LGBTQIA+'' is understood to mean lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual, and other identities;
Whereas community partnership organizations have been instrumental in
establishing, maintaining, and expanding these spaces through their
dedication, advocacy, and resource mobilization;
Whereas LGBTQIA+ community spaces include and uplift members who are also from
racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds emphasizing the need for
solidarity and mutual understanding;
Whereas, in June 1969, the Stonewall Inn--a bar known for serving LGBTQIA+
community members at a time when being LGBTQIA+ was illegal--was raided
by the City of New York Police Department, leading to a six-day protest
led by a diverse coalition including transgender women of color such as
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, demonstrating intersectional
solidarity in maintaining community support spaces;
Whereas the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League, later known as GLAAD, held
its first meeting in 1985 at the New York Community Center, convening
over 400 LGBTQIA+ people and providing an unprecedented opportunity for
members within the LBGTQIA+ community to openly and unabashedly discuss
ongoing political and social issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community;
Whereas, in 1987, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, also known as ACT UP, was
founded through the unity of smaller LGBTQIA+ organizations and
individuals to fight discrimination against those with Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome, also known as AIDS, in politics and the
health care industry, often facing military and police aggression for
holding strategizing meetings in semipublic places, and whose valiant
efforts helped combat the social and political stigma around AIDS;
Whereas ballroom, an underground LGBTQIA+ artform that emerged out of burlesque
shows in the late 1800s and gained mainstream prominence in cities such
as New York and Chicago by the 1990s, provided a platform for teams to
compete and enhanced recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community;
Whereas bars and nightclubs that have historically held space for the LGBTQIA+
community have declined by 37 percent in the last decade, making up only
1.5 percent of the total share of bars and clubs in the United States,
with only 32 lesbian bars and nightclubs in existence across the Nation;
Whereas, according to a 2020 analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey
by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, sexual and gender
minorities disproportionately face victimization, experiencing violent
victimization at a rate of 71.1 per 1000 people compared with 19.2 per
1000 people for those who are not sexual or gender minorities;
Whereas the New York City Anti-Violence Project's LGBTQIA+ 2022 Safe Spaces
National Needs Assessment found that 62.1 percent of 380 LGBTQIA+
businesses, groups, and organizations surveyed experienced at least 1
incident of hate violence in 2022 and 9 in 10 organizations expressed a
need for security measures they do not currently have;
Whereas ensuring access to resources and investments for LGBTQIA+ businesses,
groups, and organizations to continue supporting vulnerable populations
is a critical need; and
Whereas when protected spaces are infiltrated by violence and hatred, innocent
people are the ones who pay the price, oftentimes with their lives, and
the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando took the lives of 49
individuals, and the 2022 Club Q shooting took the lives of 5
individuals, both of which gravely damaged the psyche and sense of
security for the respective local communities and LGBTQIA+
organizations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the necessity and work of those who create
LGBTQIA+ community spaces with the goals of equality;
(2) commends those who foster community partnerships
between marginalized groups and local resources;
(3) acknowledges the historical importance of community-
building spaces in the intersectional fight against homophobic,
racist, misogynistic, and hateful oppression;
(4) honors current and past organizations and individuals
dedicated to providing marginalized groups, like the LGBTQIA+
community and people of color, with space to commune and
organize;
(5) affirms the importance of education and awareness
initiatives that highlight the historical and cultural
significance of LGBTQIA+ community spaces; and
(6) encourages continued support by Congress for community
organizations and individuals who continue to create community
for marginalized groups.
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