Kaine Joins Senate Democrats in Introducing Resolution Recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senator Sherrod Brown and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, in introducing a Senate 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 (COVID-19) pandemic compounds the systemic inequality that LGBTQ people face in healthcare, employment, and housing systems in the United States, leading to a disparate impact on LGBTQ people.

On June 1, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month, the first time Pride Month has been recognized in the Oval Office since 2016. 

In 2019, Kaine joined Senate Democrats in re-introducing 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 Kaine and Brown, the resolution was also co-sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Bob Casey (D- PA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tom Carper (D-DE), Angus King (I-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mark Warner (D-VA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). 

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.

###