June 03, 2022

Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined their Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing a Senate resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month.

“As we celebrate the milestones and contributions of the LGBTQ community this Pride Month, we must continue the fight for full equality of LGBTQ individuals in Oregon and nationwide. Period. Full stop,” Wyden said. “The radical far-right majority on the Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade, which could have devastating consequences for other constitutional rights grounded in established privacy rights, like same-sex marriage. I will keep fighting for full equality of LGBTQ folks — like I have throughout my entire career in public service — and I am committed to passing the Equality Act into law.”

“Generations of Americans have marched, voted, organized, and raised their voices to move us closer toward a more perfect union with freedom, equality, and opportunity for all,” said Senator Merkley, who led the Senate introduction of the Equality Act last year. “Today, that vision remains distant for too many LGBTQ+ Americans who are denied the freedom we all deserve to simply be ourselves. Every day, but especially this month, let us celebrate and uplift our LGBTQ+ friends, family, neighbors, and communities, and recommit ourselves to a nation of equality and justice for all—we still have work to do.”

Introduced on the first day of LGBTQ Pride Month, the senators’ 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 U.S. Supreme Court’s pending decision to overturn Roe v. Wade could potentially undermine and erode other constitutional rights also grounded in privacy, including the right for same-sex couples to marry or engage in consensual relationships without the risk of criminal prosecution.

Wyden and Merkley co-sponsored the first-ever Senate Pride Month Resolution in June 2017, after Donald Trump broke the eight-year tradition of offering an official presidential proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month. 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 2021, Wyden joined Merkley 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. 

The resolution was led by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Tina Smith, D-Minn. Alongside Wyden and Merkley, the resolution was co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Brian Schatz D-Hawaii, Angus King, I-Maine, Tom Carper, D-Del., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Joe Manchin, D-W.VA., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Chris Coons, D-Del., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Reverend Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Mark Warner, D-Va., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Jon Tester, D-Mont., John Ossoff, D-Ga., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

This year’s pride resolution has been endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

The full text of the resolution is here.