[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 557 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 557
Honoring the struggle, sacrifice, and contributions of the LGBTQ+
community and fight for equality in Texas.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 27, 2023
Ms. Crockett (for herself, Mr. Allred, Mr. Casar, Mr. Castro of Texas,
Mr. Doggett, Ms. Escobar, Mrs. Fletcher, Mr. Green of Texas, and Ms.
Jackson Lee) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the struggle, sacrifice, and contributions of the LGBTQ+
community and fight for equality in Texas.
Whereas LGBTQI+ individuals in Texas have historically encountered bigotry,
discrimination, hatred, and violence, but have struggled tirelessly to
obtain equal rights and protection of the law;
Whereas, the Circle of Friends was Dallas' first gay organization, established
in 1965;
Whereas, in 1972, an LGBTQI+ couple was denied the right to marry by the State,
which was not illegal, but was uncommon and deemed inappropriate;
Whereas, on June 24, 1972, Dallas, Texas, held its first unofficial gay pride
parade;
Whereas Dallas hosts the world's largest LGBTQI+ seated dinner fundraiser;
Whereas the first Rainbow LULAC chapter was formed in Dallas;
Whereas Dallas has more Rainbow Crosswalks than any city in America;
Whereas Dallas is the first-and-only city in America to have an official
``pride'' version of the City flag;
Whereas the landmark legal case, England v. City of Dallas, opened municipal
employment, statewide, for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
citizens;
Whereas the landmark legal case, Baker vs. Wade, established the
unconstitutionality of Section 21.06 of the Texas Penal Code;
Whereas, in 1975, the oldest southern LGBT rights organization, the Houston LGBT
Political Caucus, was founded;
Whereas, in 1975, the Dallas Gay Political Caucus was the first major gay and
lesbian political organization in Dallas to counter the anti-gay
sentiment that was building throughout the country at the time;
Whereas, in 1976, Austin declared Gay Pride Celebration Week in the month of
June;
Whereas, in 1978, Reverend James Harris ran as the first openly gay candidate
for Dallas City Council;
Whereas, in 1979, the Houston Gay Pride Parade was first held in the community
area of Neartown Houston;
Whereas, in 1980, the first official gay pride parade took place in June in
Dallas;
Whereas the earliest AIDS resource center in Dallas was the Oak Lawn Counseling
Center, founded in 1981 by Harold P. (Howie) Daire and Candy Marcum,
which provided educational and patient support service;
Whereas, in 1982, the BlackTie Dinner held the first of what would become many
dinners to contribute to one of the largest sources of funding for many
North Texas LGBTQI+ organizations;
Whereas, in 1984, the Supreme Court decision in Gay Student Services v. Texas
A&M University upheld the requirement for public universities to uphold
the First Amendment rights of students, which require public
universities to recognize student organizations aimed at gay students;
Whereas the City of Dallas has comprehensive ordinances offering lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender residents protection from discrimination in
employment, housing, and other public areas;
Whereas, since its founding in 1984, Dallas Design Industries Foundation
Fighting AIDS has grown from a grassroots organization to a national
foundation with chapters across the country;
Whereas, in 1985, the Gay Alliance also provided support and representation for
those with HIV/AIDS, and created the AIDS Resource Center, later renamed
Resource Center;
Whereas the Dallas Buyer's Club was created by Dallas electrician Ron Woodroof
in 1988 to distribute drugs not then available to AIDS and HIV patients
to combat the disease;
Whereas, in 1993, Mr. Craig McDaniel was the first openly gay man to be elected
to the Dallas City Council, working to support the rights of the LGBTQI+
community through legislation;
Whereas 1996 marked the first year of Dallas Black Pride, which has grown to be
the largest celebration of its kind in Texas and is continually held
every year in the fall;
Whereas, in 1997, the Texas legislature prohibited the issuance of marriage
licenses to same-sex couples;
Whereas the 1999 Texas State Supreme Court annulled transsexual marriages in the
State under Littleton v. Prange;
Whereas, in 2001, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed the James Byrd, Jr., Hate
Crimes Act, which criminalized violent or coercive action against other
Texas residents on various immutable traits, including sexual
orientation;
Whereas the City of El Paso celebrated its first gay pride parade on June 2,
2001;
Whereas, in 2002, the Dallas City Council passed an anti-discrimination
ordinance protecting LGBTQI+ persons;
Whereas the 2003 Supreme Court landmark decision Lawrence v. Texas nullified all
remaining sodomy laws in the United States, which effectively preempted
State law;
Whereas Texas Penal Code 21.06 remains codified, though without legal effect;
Whereas, in 2010, Ms. Annise Danette Parker became the first openly gay mayor in
Texas elected to the city of Houston;
Whereas the Texas Latino Gay Pride event began in 2014 and is held annually
every early October in the Oaklawn district, the first event of its kind
in Texas;
Whereas, in 2012, after President Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage, the
Texas Democratic Party became the first southern Democratic State party
to include support of same-sex marriage in its platform;
Whereas, in 2013, El Paso County adopted its Plus One Policy, allowing for LGBTQ
County employees to extend certain employee benefits to their domestic
partners;
Whereas, in 2015, same-sex marriage was legalized throughout the United States;
Whereas, in Texas, specifically, 2,500 same-sex marriage licenses were issued in
2015;
Whereas, on June 26, 2015, Mr. Jack Evans and Mr. George Harris became the first
legally recognized gay marriage in Dallas County;
Whereas, between 2017 and 2021, nine trans women were brutally murdered in
Dallas;
Whereas the transgender community in Texas continues to face additional barriers
compared to others on issues of health care and housing;
Whereas, in 2019, the Texas legislature formed its first LGBT Caucus with five
LGBTQI+ women, and was chaired by Texas State Representative Mary
Gonzalez;
Whereas, in 2022, several Texas cities, including Leander, Round Rock,
Pflugerville and Lockhart, held their first public LGBTQI+ Pride events
in the state's history;
Whereas Texas cities such as Franklin, Houston, Forth Worth, Dallas, San
Antonio, Galveston, San Marcos, McAllen, El Paso, Lubbock, Waco, Corpus
Christi, Abilene, Laredo, Tyler, and countless others all have scheduled
LGBTQI+ Pride celebrations in 2023;
Whereas Texas is home to roughly 1.8 million individuals identifying as members
of the LGBTQI+ community;
Whereas Texas State Code V.T.C.A. 85.007 continues to discriminate against the
LGBTQI+ community requiring that ``materials in the education programs
intended for persons younger than 18 years of age must . . . state that
homosexual conduct is not an acceptable lifestyle and is a criminal
offense under Section 21.06, Penal Code'';
Whereas the Texas Constitution discriminates against the LGBTQI community,
recognizing that ``marriage in this state shall consist only of the
union of one man and one woman'';
Whereas there are currently no Texas State laws to protect against LGBTQIA+
discrimination in family services, housing, banking, public
accommodations, health care, and education; and
Whereas public opinion polls find that a majority of Americans support same-sex
marriage and support implementing anti-discrimination laws based on
sexual orientation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the invaluable contributions and sacrifices of
LGBTQI+ individuals and its community in Texas;
(2) recognizes the historical significance that Texas has
played in the LGBTQI+ movement; and
(3) recognizes that local and State governments and the
Federal Government must continue their work to honor all
members of the LGBTQI+ community in Texas and the United States
and ensure that these citizens receive all the rights,
privileges, and protections guaranteed under the Constitution.
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