Ensuring Equality: Protecting and Advancing LGBTQ Rights

Earlier this month, my district was the scene of hatred and violence as anti-LGBTQ protestors fought pro-LGBTQ demonstrators outside a Glendale School Board meeting that was scheduled to vote on recognizing Pride month in the district’s schools. 

The incident at the Glendale School Board meeting is just one example of hate-filled attacks in recent months. We are seeing a disturbing rise in hate crimes that target LGBTQ people. It is no coincidence that this rise in hatred comes at the same time as anti-LGBTQ policies and bills are being pushed forward in states across the country and in Congress.

Whether it is restricting transgender individuals’ participation in sports, attempting to ban transgender people from receiving gender-affirming healthcare, or erasing LGBTQ-inclusive education from school curricula, these efforts to codify discrimination are unacceptable and un-American. 

I have always fought for the rights of the LGBTQ community here in California. I serve as vice-chair of the Equality Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, advocating on behalf of LGBTQ people and introducing legislation that combats discrimination. 

Representative Mark Takano and I have led several congressional letters to Twitter urging Elon Musk to address the rising prevalence of hate speech towards LGBTQ communities on the platform. 

I introduced the Equal Access to Reproductive Care Act, which would modernize the federal tax code to allow equal treatment to those using assisted reproductive treatments and surrogacy arrangements regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or ability. This legislation will address the unequal treatment of LGBTQ individuals seeking to start a family. 

And I also authored the PrEP Access and Coverage Act, which would guarantee insurance coverage for the lifesaving HIV medication PrEP and PEP for uninsured individuals through a grant program.

I joined Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) to introduce the Privacy in Education Regarding Individuals’ Own Data (PERIOD) Act to prohibit schools that receive federal funding from requiring information about students’ menstrual cycles after elected officials in several states proposed regulations that would require students to turn over their private medical data for potential tracking, potentially harming LGBTQ students. 

Finally, I’ve been a staunch advocate for putting an end to discriminatory blood donation policies for gay and bisexual men, which the FDA finally got rid of earlier this year in a big step towards equality. And I am proud to support the Equality Act, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, and the LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act, and to have secured funding for local LGBTQ support organizations in my district. 

But there is so much more work to be done. We must ensure equality in education, housing and health care. And we must fight against attempts to roll back hard-fought LGBTQ rights. I am proud to be an ally and will always fight on behalf of the LGBTQ community and against discrimination.