IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION 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
JANUARY16, 2025
Mrs. W
ATSONCOLEMAN(for herself, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms.
V
ELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. MCIVER, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. JOHNSON
of Georgia, Mr. M
ULLIN, Ms. TITUS, Mr. EVANSof Pennsylvania, Ms.
S
EWELL, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr.
K
RISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. DOGGETT, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. PALLONE, Mr.
S
WALWELL, 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
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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
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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-
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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
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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
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