Bonnie Watson Coleman: “Thank you very much to the gentleman from California. I have to tell you that I am very happy to be able to work with…”

“Thank you very much to the gentleman from California. I have to tell you that I am very happy to be able to work with you on this issue. As a State legislator, this was important to us in the State of New Jersey. And as we grappled with all kinds of configurations of equality in relationships, we recognized that everything but absolute marriage equality was giving individuals stumbling blocks over very important things like simply being able to visit your loved one in the hospital and making medical decisions for them, or being able to enjoy the financial rights that a heterosexual couple can enjoy. Any area in which there is inequality is a threatened area to every one of us who at one point has been discriminated against or has been identified as part of a protected class. So I thank you for the work that you are doing here, and I am your partner in this effort. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our leader in our Caucus on this and so many other issues, a person who stands up each and every day for the rights of the citizens of this great country.”