Mark Takano Announced as Next Congressional Equality Caucus Chair

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Congressional Equality Caucus announced that Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) will serve as the Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus in the 119th Congress:

“Over the next several years, we will see a constant barrage of attacks on the rights and dignity of the queer community—especially against our transgender siblings—by the Trump Administration and the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate,” said Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus for the 119th Congress. “As Chair of the Equality Caucus, I will lead our coalition of openly-LGBTQI+ members and our allies in the fight to both defend the queer community and push equality forward, including by reintroducing the Equality Act. I’m incredibly thankful to my friend and colleague, Representative Pocan, for his work leading our Caucus and standing up to Republicans’ anti-equality attacks in the 118th Congress. I look forward to continuing this fight with him this Congress.”

“In the 118th Congress, Republicans used their majority to attack the rights of the LGBTQI+ community instead of making any meaningful progress for the American people. I know that our community will have a strong defender against Republicans’ incoming attacks with Representative Takano as our Chair,” said Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), outgoing Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. “I look forward to continuing to work with him—and every member of the Equality Caucus—in defending the rights of all Americans from Republican extremists in every branch of government.”


Rep. Mark Takano served as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus in the 118th Congress and is the lead sponsor of the Equality Act, the Caucus’s flagship bill that would amend existing civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination against LGBTQI+ people in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service. Rep. Takano is the first openly-LGBTQI+ person of color and the first openly-LGBTQI+ Asian American elected to the United States Congress, as well as the first person of color and Asian American to serve as Chair of the Equality Caucus. In the 119th Congress, Rep. Takano will serve as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, a member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the First Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and a Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC).

Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) served as Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus in the 118th Congress and will stay on as a Co-Chair in the 119th. Under Rep. Pocan’s leadership, the Congressional Equality Caucus grew to its largest size in its history and became the largest caucus in the House of Representatives. As Chair, Rep. Pocan spearheaded the opposition to House Republicans’ anti-equality attacks, including their more than 70 anti-LGBTQI+ votes on the House floor, from legislation that would undermine nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQI+ people to restrictions on trans peoples’ access to medically-necessary healthcare. Rep. Pocan is also the lead sponsor of the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act and the Restore Honor to Service Members Act, two of several bills important to defending the LGBTQI+ community and advancing a pro-equality agenda in Congress.