Political Quotes

“There is a mental health crisis among our LGBTQ+ youth in our country. Far too many of our young people are struggling right now to access the care they need and deserve. We know that rightwing politicians, including many in this Chamber, continue to carry out relentless attacks, just unbelievable attacks, on our LGBTQ+ people and push for discriminatory policies. This constant fear-mongering, rejection, and discrimination have real human consequences. According to the Trevor Project, nearly half of our LGBTQ+ youth have seriously considered suicide in the past year alone. At least one of them attempts suicide every 45 seconds. This is the heartbreaking reality that we are facing, so our words matter. The bills that we introduce matter. These young people, like all people regardless of how they identify or who they love, deserve the opportunity to grow up and to live with human dignity and equal rights free from discrimination. Our fight for LGBTQ+ rights is connected to our fight for human dignity for marginalized people everywhere. We must pass the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination at work, in housing, and in public accommodations and guarantee them equal protection under the law. Madam Speaker, we must also pass legislation that increases access to mental health care like the Pride in Mental Health Act, which would fund mental health resources, training for our caregivers, school bullying prevention, and more.…”