Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, a
Democrat, last week introduced a congressional resolution that seeks
to designate June 26 as “LGBT Equality Day.”
Ninety-three House Democrats have
backed the resolution.
Three landmark gay rights rulings were
handed down by the Supreme Court on the day selected, including
Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down sodomy laws in 2003;
Windsor v. United States, which stuck down a key provision of
the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013; and Obergefell v. Hodges,
which found that gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right
to marry in 2015.
“In the last two decades, our nation
has seen the Defense of Marriage Act overturned, an end to the
criminalization of same-sex conduct and now nationwide marriage
equality – all through Supreme Court decisions handed down on June
26,” DelBene
said. “But even as same-sex couples enjoy the right to marry in
all 50 states, LGBT people continue to face inequality and
discrimination simply for who they are and who they love. My
resolution designates the 26th of June as ‘LGBT Equality Day’ not
only to celebrate how far we’ve come, but also to acknowledge how
much work remains to be done.”
DelBene's office told the Washington
Blade that the resolution is supported by the Center for American
Progress, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National LGBTQ Task
Force Action Fund and the LGBT Equality Caucus.
David Stacy, government affairs
director at HRC, told the Blade: “Over the last decade and a
half, June 26th has seen three remarkable victories at the Supreme
Court in favor of fairness and equality for LGBT Americans. At the
same time, far too many LGBT people face unfair, unjust, and
unacceptable discrimination in their daily lives – a deplorable
reality that Congress must address by passing the Equality Act.
Establishing June 26th as LGBT Equality Day would not only
commemorate the day as one of significance and progress, but it would
serve as a reminder of the tremendous work that lies ahead in the
fight for full federal equality.”