Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5, the Equality Act. I have to stop for a second and take in this momentous occasion, for I have the honor of being on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, speaking in favor of a bill that I have worked on for the past 5 years that will finally give full legal equality to the LGBTQ community here in America. This is truly historic. I want to thank Chairman Nadler, who has been an unwavering ally in support of LGBTQ rights throughout his career, and thank Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, and our whip, James Clyburn, who have all showed tremendous leadership in helping to get this bill to the floor. I want to acknowledge and thank my LGBTQ Equality Caucus co-chairs, who have shown extraordinary leadership, not just in blazing a trail for future LGBTQ leaders, but in being friends and partners in this fight to get where we are today. I also want to thank our colleagues in the Senate for their extraordinary leadership. And, most importantly, we wouldn't be here today without the determined efforts of the advocates and allies in the civil rights and LGBTQ rights community who banded together to fight for the common values of dignity and equality under the law. Throughout my life, I have seen, firsthand, the struggles that many in my community have faced in achieving the American Dream. The right to live freely, without fear of persecution or discrimination, is one many in the LGBTQ community felt was an impossibility for so long.…”