Press Releases
May 15, 2022
Washington, D.C. – The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus mourns the passing of Urvashi Vaid, an LGBTQ+ activist and leader who passed away last night. Vaid served in several roles at the National LGBTQ Task Force, including as its Executive Director from 1989-1992. Vaid also held roles at the ACLU National Prison Project, the Ford Foundation, and the Arcus Foundation, among other organizations. In 2012, she launched LPAC, the first lesbian super PAC, and she also served as President of the Vaid Group LLC.
May 5, 2022
The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus applauds the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in their programs, including in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). FNS today announced “that it will interpret the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program (7 USC § 2011 et seq.), to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
May 4, 2022
Washington, D.C. – The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus applauds Equality Caucus Co-Chair Sharice Davids (KS-03) for introducing the Pride in Mental Health Act. This bill, which was endorsed by the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, would create a new program at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to assess and improve LGBTQ+ youth mental health and would amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to address and improve data collection related to LGBTQ+ child abuse and neglect, among other provisions.
April 18, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01) and the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus announced Jordan Dashow as its new Executive Director. Dashow brings to this role a wealth of knowledge on the legislative process and a proven track record of advancing LGBTQ+ rights.
April 1, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Chair David Cicilline (RI-01) and Co-Chairs Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Mondaire Jones (NY-17), and Ritchie Torres (NY-15) met with President Biden and senior administration officials at the White House to discuss the Equality Act and other LGBTQ+ issues facing the country.
March 31, 2022
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), Marie Newman (D-IL), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), co-chairs of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Transgender Equality Task Force, led 34 of their colleagues in introducing a resolution recognizing International Transgender Day of Visibility, which occurs each year on March 31.
February 25, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus marks one year since the historic House passage of H.R.5, the Equality Act, and urges the Senate to take action on this vital legislation.
February 25, 2022
Washington, D.C. – The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus applauds President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
February 24, 2022
Chicago, Ill. – This week, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), along with 34 members of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and the Congressional Ukraine Caucus sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him to take steps to protect LGBTQ+ individuals and other minorities in Ukraine.
February 22, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday evening, Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01) and Vice Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) led 27 of their colleagues in a letter urging the leaders of the Florida Legislature to oppose two bills misleadingly titled “Parental Rights in Education” (HB 1557 and SB 1834).