OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Respect and Dignity for Our LGBT Neighbors

Floor Speech

Date: June 16, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

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Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, on a summer day in 1984, a young gay man named Charlie Howard was walking down the street in Bangor, Maine. A car full of teenagers pulled up, and they started yelling slurs at him. They chased him down, beat him up, and threw him in a river, where he drowned.

Since then, we have made a lot of progress on LGBT rights in Maine. We passed civil rights protections, and we passed marriage equality. In Maine, as in the rest of the country, we have come far; but as the shooting in Orlando has reminded us, we still have a long way to go. We are reminded that LGBT men or women can suddenly find themselves facing the same fear that Charlie Howard probably felt on that bridge in Bangor, Maine, over 30 years ago.

Civil rights and marriage equality are very important, but they are not enough. We must not rest until our LGBT neighbors enjoy the respect and dignity that they deserve and until they do not feel that their safety is at risk because of who they are.

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