Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 447. As the tensions continue to rise in Ukraine about the future direction of this country, we understand that the people of Ukraine are hoping to secure basic democratic freedoms of association and speech for all citizens. I join my colleagues in stressing the importance of the adoption of democratic social norms in Ukraine and in the region. Over the past several years, we have seen some impressive improvements in the area of human rights. However, the situation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals continues to cause serious concern. The rampant and unacceptable state-sponsored homophobia that we are witnessing in neighboring Russia is slowly invading Ukraine as well. Some individuals have sought to introduce legislation in the Ukrainian Rada, similar to Russia's, to ban so-called ``homosexual propaganda,'' which does nothing more than limit the fundamental freedoms of association, speech, and assembly for all Ukrainians, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The citizens of Ukraine, including her LGBT citizens, deserve much, much better, and they should know we stand with them as they pursue a free, inclusive, and democratic society.”