I am a passionate supporter of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. I firmly believe our LGBT friends and neighbors deserve the right to visit their partners in hospitals, the right to spousal benefits, the right to serve openly in our nation’s Armed Forces and the right to marry.

I am honored to be the Vice Chair in the LGBT Equality Caucus here on Capitol Hill. In partnership with this Caucus, and through my own work in Congress, I have advocated extensively on behalf of the LGBT community.

For example, I have worked to end the discriminatory and ineffective “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military, support resources for community health centers to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the minority populations they serve, acknowledge the LGBT community in the Census, commemorate the National Day of Silence, and eradicate the discrimination towards the LGBT community in Iraq.

I was very proud to vote for the Military Readiness Act (H.R. 1283), which repeals “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the prejudiced policy currently used in our nation’s Armed Forces, and remain hopeful the legislation will become law before the end of the year. It is far past time to allow the military to recruit and retain all qualified individuals who wish to serve our country, regardless of sexual orientation.

I also support the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (H.R. 2517), which Extends employee benefit programs to cover the domestic partners of federal employees to the same extent as those benefits cover spouses of federal employees.

I am very pleased the 111th Congress has made tremendous progress on behalf of LGBT Americans and value any opportunity to work for equal rights for all Americans.