[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 722 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 722
Supporting the goals of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 20, 2019
Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Ms. Norton, Ms.
Schakowsky, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Haaland, Ms.
Craig, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Pallone, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms.
Garcia of Texas, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Espaillat, Mr.
Khanna, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Nadler, Ms.
Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Sires, Mr. Phillips, Mr. McEachin,
Ms. Speier, Ms. Meng, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Wexton, Mr.
Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Crist, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Omar, Ms. Bonamici,
Mr. Carbajal, Mrs. Lee of Nevada, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr.
Takano, Ms. Shalala, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Sanchez,
and Mr. Correa) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Whereas an estimated 1.4 million American adults are transgender;
Whereas transgender people have contributed much to American society but
continue to face severe discrimination and violence;
Whereas, in 1998, Rita Hester, a transgender woman of color, was murdered, and
her murder has yet to be solved;
Whereas, the following year on November 20, 1999, Gwendolyn Ann Smith created
the first Transgender Day of Remembrance in honor of Rita Hester and
other transgender people who had lost their lives to violence, and this
date has been commemorated ever since;
Whereas the United States is currently witnessing an epidemic of violence
against transgender people, in particular transgender women of color,
with at least 28 members of this community known to have been killed in
2018 and at least 22 killed thus far in 2019;
Whereas the United States has one of the highest rates of murder of transgender
people;
Whereas young Black transgender women have a far greater chance of being
murdered as compared to the general public;
Whereas reports of violence and killings of transgender people are likely to be
significantly undercounted due to a variety of factors including the
misgendering of victims and fear of reporting;
Whereas transgender people suffer from disproportionate rates of homelessness,
with reports suggesting as many as one-third of transgender people have
experienced homelessness;
Whereas 19 percent of all transgender people report being refused medical care,
with even higher rates for transgender people of color;
Whereas almost half of all transgender people in the United States will attempt
suicide at one point in their lifetime, a rate that is eight times
higher than the rest of the United States population;
Whereas around the world, transgender people face violence and discrimination
based on their gender identity and expression, which is further
exacerbated for transgender people of color, transgender people from a
low socioeconomic status, transgender people with disabilities, or
transgender people who belong to other marginalized groups;
Whereas asylum seekers and refugees that identify as transgender experience
disproportionate rates of violence, including sexual violence, as they
seek safety;
Whereas transgender people who are housed in institutional settings including
jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers, are subject to high
levels of violence and discrimination;
Whereas transgender students are significantly more likely to experience
bullying or harassment at school due to their gender identity;
Whereas transgender Americans face rates of unemployment that are far greater
than the general population;
Whereas understanding and addressing the challenges faced by transgender
Americans is hampered by a severe lack of data;
Whereas Congress and the executive branch must act to protect and preserve the
lives of all Americans, including transgender Americans, through
inclusive legislation and policies that treat everyone with respect;
Whereas recent regulations and other actions by the executive branch have
directly targeted transgender Americans in all aspects of their lives,
from their experiences in schools and health care settings, to their
ability to continue to serve in the military, to seek redress for
workplace discrimination, or to even seek emergency shelter;
Whereas the transgender community has shown great resilience in the face of
adversity in all aspects of their lives including housing, education,
employment, and health care; and
Whereas the transgender community has demonstrated tremendous leadership since
the courageous actions of many community members, including Marsha P.
Johnson, at the Stonewall uprising of 1969: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the goals and principles of Transgender Day of
Remembrance of memorializing the lives lost this year to
antitransgender violence;
(2) recognizes that the current trends of increased
violence, particularly violence against transgender women of
color, are unacceptable, and finding solutions to these issues
must be a pressing priority for the United States Government;
(3) supports efforts to study, respond to, and prevent
violence against transgender people including through enhanced,
responsible data collection;
(4) affirms the principle that every person is endowed with
basic human rights and that our Nation's commitment to this
principle must encompass every single individual; and
(5) recognizes the bravery and resilience of the
transgender community as it fights for equal dignity and
respect.
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