HR 231 — A Resolution recognizing the month of June 2025 as "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.    1666

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 231
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY BENHAM, CARROLL, KENYATTA, MAYES, SALISBURY,
        SCOTT, SMITH-WADE-EL, RIVERA, McNEILL, WAXMAN, ABNEY, POWELL,
        PIELLI, GUENST, PROBST, VENKAT, HILL-EVANS, FIEDLER,
        SCHLOSSBERG, HOHENSTEIN, BURGOS, SHUSTERMAN, ISAACSON,
        BRENNAN, MERSKI AND SCHWEYER, MAY 8, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 8, 2025


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Recognizing the month of June 2025 as "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" in
 2      Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, Our Commonwealth was founded on the principles of
 4   freedom, fairness and tolerance; and
 5      WHEREAS, Through military service, in debates and
 6   demonstrations, at the polls and in countless other acts of
 7   democracy, Pennsylvanians have consistently defended these
 8   principles; and
 9      WHEREAS, Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer
10   or questioning (LGBTQ+) Pennsylvanians and their allies have had
11   significant roles in the economic, cultural, spiritual and
12   political development of this Commonwealth while working
13   tirelessly to maintain and promote culture and history; and
14      WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has been the site of many pivotal
15   moments in LGBTQ+ history; and
16      WHEREAS, The activism that has been vital for promoting
 1   tolerance and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community has flourished
 2   in this Commonwealth; and
 3         WHEREAS, On April 25, 1965, borrowing a strategy associated
 4   with the African-American civil rights movement, a group of
 5   gender-variant persons of color organized a sit-in to protest
 6   discrimination toward LGBTQ+ individuals at Dewey's lunch
 7   counter in Philadelphia; and
 8         WHEREAS, This event has been recognized as the first LGBTQ+
 9   sit-in in the nation and one of the first demonstrations
10   launched with the goal of protecting the dignity of LGBTQ+
11   individuals; and
12         WHEREAS, The Annual Reminder marches held in front of the
13   Liberty Bell on Independence Day from 1965 through 1969 drew
14   national attention to the LGBTQ+ community's struggle for
15   liberty and equality; and
16         WHEREAS, Initiatives in keeping with the Dewey's lunch
17   counter and Annual Reminder demonstrations have generated
18   greater inclusion among LGBTQ+ Americans in their respective
19   communities; and
20         WHEREAS, Commonwealth agencies and officers have
21   traditionally been on the forefront of LGBTQ+ recognition,
22   regardless of which political party has been in control; and
23         WHEREAS, In 1975, Governor Milton Shapp issued the first
24   Statewide resolution in the nation recognizing LGBTQ+ equality;
25   and
26         WHEREAS, In 1976, Governor Shapp established the Pennsylvania
27   Council for Sexual Minorities, the first governmental body in
28   the nation to examine LGBTQ+ issues; and
29         WHEREAS, In 1979, Governor Richard Thornburgh became the
30   first Republican governor in the nation to issue a Statewide

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 1   resolution recognizing LGBTQ+ equality; and
 2      WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians remain committed to advancing LGBTQ+
 3   inclusion and quality of life; and
 4      WHEREAS, This Commonwealth is home to Philadelphia Gay News,
 5   the oldest continually published magazine devoted to LGBTQ+
 6   issues; and
 7      WHEREAS, The John C. Anderson Apartments in Philadelphia, one
 8   of the nation's first affordable LGBTQ+ elder housing
 9   facilities, and the Persad Center in Pittsburgh, the second
10   oldest licensed counseling center serving the LGBTQ+ community
11   and people living with HIV, offer additional resources; and
12      WHEREAS, The month of June is recognized worldwide as "LGBTQ+
13   Pride Month" to commemorate the Stonewall riots in New York
14   City, considered to be a turning point in the fight for global
15   LGBTQ+ equality; and
16      WHEREAS, "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" highlights the work, struggles,
17   accomplishments and challenges of LGBTQ+ individuals in this
18   Commonwealth and beyond; and
19      WHEREAS, As a celebration of diversity, "LGBTQ+ Pride Month"
20   reflects this Commonwealth's unique history of welcoming and
21   securing equal treatment for all individuals and adds greatly to
22   the social inclusion and economic health and well-being of our
23   communities; and
24      WHEREAS, With increasing anti-LGBTQ+ hate, the House of
25   Representatives must show now more than ever that we stand in
26   solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and that they deserve to be
27   visible and heard; and
28      WHEREAS, More work needs to be done to eliminate
29   discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community; therefore be it
30      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the

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1   month of June 2025 as "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" in Pennsylvania.




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