Mike Quigley: “Again, it has to be pointed that there is a level of being completely ridiculous that two straight White men are…”

“Again, it has to be pointed that there is a level of being completely ridiculous that two straight White men are debating all the issues of equality and equity as if we have faced them all our lives. We can't be the judge or the jury in this country on who should be served by the Federal Government. While we are probably not the best people to speak on the issue, let's try to make clear what I think my colleagues are really saying. What they are really saying is they don't like diversity, and they absolutely don't like inclusion. They don't want to address discrimination against people of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities. They don't want to build a Nation that supports people at the greatest risk of homelessness. Not caring allows them to ignore this insurmountable problem, but it doesn't make it less real. It is not radical to want to build a country that is welcoming to all people from different backgrounds, but they do want you to believe that our country has reckoned with its history of discrimination. They want you to believe that these issues are things in the distant past. They are wrong. They are attempting to legislate away those who look, think, or feel differently. That is not American. That is authoritarianism. Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”