Text of US HR 52 (2025)

IV 119TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 52 Recognizing and honoring the work of community organizations and individ- uals who create and maintain services and educational programs for marginalized groups ensuring the resilience and prosperity of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 16, 2025 Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. MCIVER, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. MULLIN, Ms. TITUS, Mr. EVANS of Pennsylvania, Ms. SEWELL, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. DOGGETT, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. SWALWELL, and Mr. CARSON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Recognizing and honoring the work of community organiza- tions and individuals who create and maintain services and educational programs for marginalized groups ensur- ing the resilience and prosperity of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Whereas LGBTQIA+ community spaces provide critical envi- ronments, both historically and in the present, where in- dividuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identi- ties can express themselves authentically, free from dis- crimination, violence, or judgment, while fostering a sense of belonging, mental and emotional well-being, and VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR52.IH HR52 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 52 IH community support, and have served as incubators for cultural expression, social activism, and education on issues of equality and justice; Whereas the term ‘‘LGBTQIA+’’ is understood to mean les- bian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual, and other identities; Whereas community partnership organizations have been in- strumental in establishing, maintaining, and expanding these spaces through their dedication, advocacy, and re- source mobilization; Whereas LGBTQIA+ community spaces include and uplift members who are also from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds emphasizing the need for solidarity and mu- tual understanding; Whereas, in June 1969, the Stonewall Inn—a bar known for serving LGBTQIA+ community members at a time when being LGBTQIA+ was illegal—was raided by the City of New York Police Department, leading to a six-day pro- test led by a diverse coalition including transgender women of color such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, demonstrating intersectional solidarity in main- taining community support spaces; Whereas the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League, later known as GLAAD, held its first meeting in 1985 at the New York Community Center, convening over 400 LGBTQIA+ people and providing an unprecedented op- portunity for members within the LBGTQIA+ commu- nity to openly and unabashedly discuss ongoing political and social issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community; Whereas, in 1987, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, also known as ACT UP, was founded through the unity of VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR52.IH HR52 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 52 IH smaller LGBTQIA+ organizations and individuals to fight discrimination against those with Acquired Im- munodeficiency Syndrome, also known as AIDS, in poli- tics and the health care industry, often facing military and police aggression for holding strategizing meetings in semipublic places, and whose valiant efforts helped com- bat the social and political stigma around AIDS; Whereas ballroom, an underground LGBTQIA+ artform that emerged out of burlesque shows in the late 1800s and gained mainstream prominence in cities such as New York and Chicago by the 1990s, provided a platform for teams to compete and enhanced recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community; Whereas bars and nightclubs that have historically held space for the LGBTQIA+ community have declined by 37 per- cent in the last decade, making up only 1.5 percent of the total share of bars and clubs in the United States, with only 32 lesbian bars and nightclubs in existence across the Nation; Whereas, according to a 2020 analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, sexual and gender minorities disproportion- ately face victimization, experiencing violent victimization at a rate of 71.1 per 1000 people compared with 19.2 per 1000 people for those who are not sexual or gender mi- norities; Whereas the New York City Anti-Violence Project’s LGBTQIA+ 2022 Safe Spaces National Needs Assess- ment found that 62.1 percent of 380 LGBTQIA+ busi- nesses, groups, and organizations surveyed experienced at least 1 incident of hate violence in 2022 and 9 in 10 or- VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR52.IH HR52 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 52 IH ganizations expressed a need for security measures they do not currently have; Whereas ensuring access to resources and investments for LGBTQIA+ businesses, groups, and organizations to continue supporting vulnerable populations is a critical need; and Whereas when protected spaces are infiltrated by violence and hatred, innocent people are the ones who pay the price, oftentimes with their lives, and the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando took the lives of 49 individuals, and the 2022 Club Q shooting took the lives of 5 individuals, both of which gravely damaged the psyche and sense of security for the respective local communities and LGBTQIA+ organizations: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes the necessity and work of those 2 who create LGBTQIA+ community spaces with the 3 goals of equality; 4 (2) commends those who foster community 5 partnerships between marginalized groups and local 6 resources; 7 (3) acknowledges the historical importance of 8 community-building spaces in the intersectional fight 9 against homophobic, racist, misogynistic, and hateful 10 oppression; 11 (4) honors current and past organizations and 12 individuals dedicated to providing marginalized 13 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR52.IH HR52 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 52 IH groups, like the LGBTQIA+ community and people 1 of color, with space to commune and organize; 2 (5) affirms the importance of education and 3 awareness initiatives that highlight the historical 4 and cultural significance of LGBTQIA+ community 5 spaces; and 6 (6) encourages continued support by Congress 7 for community organizations and individuals who 8 continue to create community for marginalized 9 groups. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR52.IH HR52 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS