Political Quotes

“I thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Cicilline, for the opportunity. Madam Speaker, I am a proud ally and member of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. Why? I will share with you a brief vignette. When I was a much younger person, I had a friend whose name was Glen. Glen was small in stature. He never bothered anybody. He was friendly, gregarious; very much outgoing. I didn't understand Glen, but I had friends who thought they understood him. My friends, Mr. Cicilline, would pick on Glen. They called him queer. They invited him to do things that were unacceptable. I never spoke up for Glen. I saw him and left. I had the opportunity to take a stand for justice and against hate. My friend, Glen, has gone on to glory, and I have allowed his memory to haunt me because of my failure to do what I could easily have done. I am an ally because I have seen the behavior of people who disrespect the humanity that every person merits by virtue of just being born. That is all. The Constitution recognizes my rights, recognizes your rights. It doesn't grant us a right, and we didn't recognize Glen's rights. As a result, I will probably do many things in life to try to make up for my failure at a time when someone needed me and I could have been there, and I wasn't. {time} 1945 So to my friend Glen, I have introduced the LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Resolution.…”