Sen. Murray on Marking June 26th as LGBT Equality Day: Must Keep Up the Fight to Advance Equal Treatment for All People, No Matter Who They Love

Murray: “This resolution represents another commitment to keep up the fight against discrimination and work to advance equal treatment for all people, no matter who they love.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), joined Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and 30 of their Democratic colleagues to support a resolution designating June 26th as LGBT Equality Day. This is also the day of the Seattle Pride Parade, where supporters will march through downtown Seattle in support of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. The resolution, which honors members of the LGBT community who lost their lives in Orlando, also marks the significance of June 26th as the day that the United Supreme Court handed down three major decisions advancing the rights of LGBT people. The three cases were the 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas invalidating laws that criminalized same-sex relationships, the 2013 decision in Windsor v. United States striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act and extending federal recognition to marriages between same-sex couples valid under state law, and the 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges recognizing that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. 

“I am so proud of the progress our country has made in recent years to advance the rights of LGBT Americans, but with each step forward, we are reminded that there is still so much more that needs to be done – especially in light of the tragedy in Orlando last week,” said Senator Murray. “This resolution represents another commitment to keep up the fight against discrimination and work to advance equal treatment for all people, no matter who they love.”

Current cosponsors are Senators Murray, Hirono, Markey, Cantwell, Durbin, Booker, Wyden, Brown, Franken, Merkley, Heitkamp, Schumer, Coons, Sanders, Heinrich, Cardin, Blumenthal, Mikulski, Whitehouse, Peters, Feinstein, Casey, Leahy, Carper, Menendez, Kaine, Boxer, Shaheen, Reid, Murphy, and Schatz. A House version was introduced earlier this year by U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01), which has 147 co-sponsors from the U.S. House of Representatives.

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