Bennet, Senate Democrats Introduce Resolution Recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month

Press Release

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined all 47 Senate Democrats in introducing a resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month. The resolution highlights the contributions LGBTQ individuals have made to American society, notes several major milestones in the fight for equal treatment of LGBTQ Americans and resolves to continue efforts to achieve full equality for LGBTQ individuals. The resolution also recognizes how the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic compounds the systemic inequality that LGBTQ people face in the health care, employment, and housing systems in the United States.

"Pride Month is a time to celebrate the immense progress that has been made toward equality while also recommitting ourselves to the work that remains unfinished," said Bennet. "This week, we saw a historic Supreme Court decision affirming equality for all members of the LGBTQ community in the workplace. But just last week, we saw President Trump roll back health care protections for trans Americans. It's time for the Senate to do our work and pass the Equality Act to secure equal opportunity and treatment for all members of the LGBTQ community in our federal laws."

In June 2017, President Donald Trump broke the eight-year tradition of offering an official presidential proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month. Bennet co-sponsored a resolution last year to recognize June as LGBTQ Pride Month after the president once again failed to do so.

In 2019, Bennet and 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.

In addition to Bennet, the resolution was co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Angus King (I-Maine), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).