Washington (June 22, 2023) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who led their colleagues, in introducing a Senate resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month. The senators’ resolution highlights the contributions LGBTQ Americans have made to our country, notes several major milestones in the fight for equal treatment of LGBTQ Americans, and resolves to continue efforts to achieve full equality. The resolution also recognizes the progress that has been made with the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act and the legal recognition of workplace protections for transgender people while acknowledging the continued attacks on the rights of LGBTQ people taking place in our legal institutions.

“During Pride Month, and all year round, we celebrate all the contributions that LGBTQ Ohioans make in our communities, and we recommit ourselves to the fight for equality. We’ve made tremendous progress, yet too many of our LGBTQ family and friends and neighbors can still be denied a home or a job or a loan – and it’s perfectly legal. That’s wrong, and we must continue our work to change that. No one should feel afraid or ashamed because of who they are and who they love,” said Senator Brown.

“We all deserve to live authentic lives free from discrimination and hate,” said Senator Feinstein.  “As we recognize the contributions of LGBTQ Americans this Pride Month, let’s also recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight for justice, equality and inclusion. As we celebrate our progress, we must also recognize how far we still have to go on the path to true equality.”

“This month—and all year round—we celebrate, recognize, and lift up the LGBTQ+ community,” said Senator Smith. “The freedom to live and love openly is fundamental. This Pride Month, we recognize the courage and accomplishments of those who have been on the front lines of the LGBTQ movement and recommit ourselves to the fight for justice and equality. I am proud to help lead this resolution.”

Brown introduced the first-ever Senate Pride Month Resolution in June 2017, after then-President Trump broke the eight-year tradition of offering an official presidential proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month. This is the seventh year in a row that Brown has introduced the resolution.

In 2021, Senate Democrats re-introduced the Equality Act, legislation to ensure civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The Equality Act would unequivocally ban discrimination in a host of areas, including employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, federal funding assistance, and education. 

Along with Senators Markey, Brown, Feinstein, and Smith, the resolution was cosponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Angus King (I-Maine), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai'i), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), John Ossoff (D-Ga.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Full text of the resolution is available HERE. 

This year’s pride resolution has been endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Equality Ohio.

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