[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 611 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 611
Honoring the life of Jeanne Sobelson Manford for her fierce advocacy on
behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community
as they and their allies celebrate Pride month during the month of
June, reflect on the progress made towards equality, and remember
activists like Jeanne who spent their lives fighting for their rights.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 2, 2014
Mr. Crowley (for himself, Ms. Speier, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. McDermott, Mr.
Israel, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Velazquez, Mr.
Higgins, Mr. Levin, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Cicilline, Mrs. Davis of
California, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Meng, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Michaud, Mr.
Kilmer, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Peters of California, Mr. Sean
Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Polis, Ms.
Schakowsky, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Honda, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Takano, and Ms.
Sinema) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the life of Jeanne Sobelson Manford for her fierce advocacy on
behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community
as they and their allies celebrate Pride month during the month of
June, reflect on the progress made towards equality, and remember
activists like Jeanne who spent their lives fighting for their rights.
Whereas Jeanne Sobelson Manford was born in Queens, New York, on December 4,
1920, to Charles and Sadie Sobelson;
Whereas she earned her bachelor's degree from the City University of New York's
Queens College and became an elementary school teacher at P.S. 32;
Whereas she married her husband Jules Manford and had three children Charles,
Morty, and Suzanne;
Whereas in April 1972, her openly gay son Morty was beaten during a gay rights
protest;
Whereas in the aftermath of her son's beating Jeanne, together with her husband
Jules, became a staunch advocate of LGBT rights;
Whereas while marching in one of New York City's first Pride parades, known as
the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, on June 25, 1972, with her
son, Jeanne carried a now-famous sign reading, ``Parents of Gays Unite
in Support for our Children'';
Whereas this important show of support was the impetus for her founding the
organization Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays, now known
as PFLAG;
Whereas in the more than 41 years since its first meeting at the Church of the
Village in Greenwich Village in 1973, PFLAG has expanded to a national
organization with more than 350 chapters and over 200,000 members in all
50 States;
Whereas PFLAG envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are
respected, valued, and affirmed regardless of their sexual orientation,
gender identity, or gender expression;
Whereas PFLAG, through its core values of meeting people where they are and
collaborating with others, seeks to relay its vision through support for
families, allies, and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and queer/questioning (LGBTQ), education about the unique issues and
challenges that people who are LGBTQ face, and advocacy in communities
to change attitudes and create policies and laws that achieve full
equality for people who are LGBTQ;
Whereas Jeanne Manford became an advocate for people with AIDS because of the
death of her son and so many others whose lives were far too short;
Whereas Jeanne Manford was honored as the Grand Marshal of the first Queens
Pride Parade, held in June 1993;
Whereas on Sunday, June 1, 2014, officials, community leaders, and residents
will participate in the 22nd annual Queens Pride Parade and on June 29
the City of New York will hold its 44th Annual Pride Parade;
Whereas the tremendous efforts of Jeanne Manford and many others have opened
doors for individuals to be open with their families at home and with
their colleagues in their places of work;
Whereas lesbian and gay employees of the Federal Government and members of the
United States Armed Forces may serve their Nation with the dignity they
deserve and without the need to shield an important part of their
identity;
Whereas since the landmark decision of United States v. Windsor invalidating the
Defense of Marriage Act, courts have continuously overturned State bans
on same-sex marriage, leading to equal marriage rights for people in 19
States and the District of Columbia and legal challenges to same-sex
marriage bans pending in 30 other States;
Whereas this extraordinary show of support represents a rapid change in
attitudes sparked by the important work of advocates like Jeanne
Sobelson Manford;
Whereas on January 8, 2013, at the age of 92, just 6 months before the Windsor
decision, Jeanne Manford passed away and the LGBT community lost a long-
time champion for civil rights, but celebrated her extraordinary legacy;
Whereas when President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Jeanne the Presidential
Citizens Medal on February 15, 2013, he remarked that Jeanne, ``Took to
the streets with a simple message: No matter who her son was--no matter
who he loved--she loved him, and wouldn't put up with this kind of
nonsense. And in that simple act, she inspired a movement and gave rise
to a national organization that has given so much support to parents and
families and friends, and helped to change this country.'';
Whereas Jeanne demonstrated to us in her life and inspires us today through her
legacy that one voice can change the world;
Whereas Jeanne's courage lives on in PFLAG's work and in the progress for which
she fought; and
Whereas Jeanne Manford insisted that equality knows no bounds, including that of
sexual orientation or gender identity: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the life and work of Jeanne Sobelson Manford;
(2) recognizes Jeanne Sobelson Manford as a national hero
who advanced the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) people in the United States; and
(3) commends Jeanne Sobelson Manford for helping to realize
the founders' goal of creating a more perfect union based on
the ideal that all men and women are created equal.
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