Eric Swalwell: “This weekend in Castro Valley, in my district, we have a lot to celebrate. We will be celebrating Castro Valley Pride. I…”

“This weekend in Castro Valley, in my district, we have a lot to celebrate. We will be celebrating Castro Valley Pride. I am pleased to recognize Castro Valley Pride and its organizer, Billy Bradford. We will be celebrating the sweet sound of the wedding bells that will be ringing in our district now that our friends and loved ones in the LGBT community, after the Supreme Court ruling, will again be allowed to marry. I was thrilled to know, as many were across my State, that the Supreme Court recently allowed same-sex marriage to resume in California. Love is love, and this decision allows loving gay and lesbian couples to be treated the same as everyone else. These couples and married couples across the country will also benefit from the Supreme Court's decision to strike down DOMA. No longer will the Federal Government be able to treat all same-sex couples as second- class citizens. But the fight is not over. We must make sure that once you are legally married in a State, you don't lose your Federal benefits just because you move to a State that does not recognize same-sex marriage. We also have to make sure that people are not discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This includes protecting against housing and job discrimination, for example. More broadly, we want to make sure that everyone is embraced and valued for who one is. No one should suffer hate, bullying, or rejection for being gay or lesbian.…”