[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1128 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1128
Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day Against
Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Intersexphobia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 17, 2022
Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Pressley, Mr.
Pocan, Mr. Khanna, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. Tlaib, Mrs.
Watson Coleman, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Higgins of New York, Ms. Williams of
Georgia, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms. Jacobs
of California, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Vargas,
Ms. Porter, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Auchincloss, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Nadler, Ms.
Blunt Rochester, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Omar, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Strickland,
Ms. Titus, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Soto, Mr. Torres of
New York, Mr. Tonko, and Mr. Cleaver) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and
in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and
Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Day Against
Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Intersexphobia.
Whereas over 11,000,000 American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender (LGBT), and 1,300,000 high schoolers identify as LGBT;
Whereas, according to a February 2013 report by the Williams Institute, an
estimated 3,000,000 LGBT Americans have had a child and as many as
6,000,000 American children and adults have an LGBT parent;
Whereas, according to a 2018 study by the Williams Institute--
(1) 24 percent of female same-sex couples are raising children; and
(2) same-sex couples are 7 times more likely than different-sex couples
to be raising an adopted or foster child;
Whereas, according to a 2020 study by the Williams Institute, 19 percent of
transgender adults are raising children;
Whereas the Center for American Progress found 1 in 3 LGBTQ people reported
experiencing discrimination in some area of their lives in the past year
because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in 2020;
Whereas 45 percent of United States employees report hearing anti-LGBT remarks
in the workplace and 25 percent say that LGBTQ people are treated worse
by law enforcement than non-LGBTQ people;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia contribute to disparities in
physical and mental health indicators such as depression, substance use,
cancer, and experiences of abuse and violence;
Whereas COVID-19 has further exacerbated the health disparities experienced by
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention further report that
homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia limit an individual's ability to
access high-quality health care and negatively affect such individual's
income and employment status;
Whereas, according to the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, homophobia,
transphobia, and biphobia contribute to disproportionately high rates of
HIV among men who have sex with men and transgender women;
Whereas, according to a 2017 survey by GLSEN (formerly known as the Gay, Lesbian
& Straight Education Network), 87 percent of students who identify as
LGBT were harassed at school in the past year due to their sexual
orientation, 60 percent felt unsafe at school because of their sexual
orientation, and 40 percent because of their gender identity;
Whereas youth who are LGBT are 120 percent more likely to experience
homelessness than their non-LGBT counterparts and are likely to lack
access to health care and develop stress-related disorders;
Whereas youth who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are over 4 times more
likely to attempt suicide compared to their heterosexual counterparts
and transgender youth are over 5 times more likely to attempt suicide
than their cisgender counterparts;
Whereas homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia are associated with minority
stress that may underlie sexual behaviors that can increase the risk of
HIV and AIDS transmission, and also create additional barriers for LGBT
individuals to access prevention and treatment for HIV and AIDS;
Whereas nearly one-half of all LBQ women report being physically or sexually
assaulted since they were 18 years old;
Whereas the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, a study of 27,715 transgender adults,
found that 77 percent of those who were out or perceived as transgender
in K-12 were harassed, physically or sexually assaulted, or faced other
forms of mistreatment because of being transgender, and nearly 1 in 5
(17 percent) were forced to leave a school because of the severity of
mistreatment that they faced;
Whereas a 2021 Williams Institute study of national crime victimization data
found that transgender people are over 4 times more likely than
cisgender people to experience violence;
Whereas the Center for American Progress found that--
(1) 15 percent of LGBTQ individuals, including 28 percent of
transgender individuals, reported postponing or avoiding needed medical
care when they were sick or injured due to disrespect or discrimination by
health providers;
(2) among LGBTQ people who reported experiencing some form of
discrimination in the year prior, 36 percent reported avoiding doctors'
offices to avoid discrimination compared with 20 percent of respondents
overall;
(3) 18 percent of transgender people reported that a doctor or health
provider refused to see them because of their actual or perceived gender
identity; and
(4) LGBTQ patients who experienced discrimination were nearly 7 times
more likely than those who had not to avoid going to a doctor;
Whereas LGBT adults are over twice as likely to be uninsured than their non-LGBT
counterparts and LGBT adults, particularly bisexual men and women, are
more likely to experience poverty;
Whereas 68 countries still criminalize homosexuality, and LGBT people in these
countries face violence, increased discrimination, and blackmail;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, in some countries
transgender women are 80 times more likely to have HIV, and there were
2,982 reported killings of transgender people in 72 countries between
2008 and 2018;
Whereas, according to a Williams Institute study of 120 countries, greater
social acceptance and legal rights for LGBT people are associated with
stronger economic growth; and
Whereas the European Parliament and other international bodies observe May 17 as
an International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of an International Day
Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Intersexphobia;
(2) encourages the Federal Government, States, localities,
nonprofit organizations, schools, and community organizations
to observe the day with appropriate programs and activities,
with the goal of increasing public knowledge of homophobia,
transphobia, biphobia, and intersexphobia and empowering
communities to celebrate and respect their diversity;
(3) encourages health care providers to offer culturally
and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and agender
(LGBTQIA+) community, schools to support the creation of gender
and sexuality alliances to achieve safer learning environments,
and individuals to learn about national resources for those who
identify as LGBTQIA+; and
(4) encourages the Federal Government, States,
international funding organizations, and United States
bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health
and human rights of LGBTQIA+ people.
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