LGBT

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi attends the ceremony commemorating the Harvey Milk Forever Stamp’s first day of issue and honors the life and legacy of Harvey Milk, a San Francisco hero who dedicated his life to the fundamental American value of equality.  

San Francisco is blessed with a large and vibrant LGBT community and a strong history of advocacy for equal rights for all. Since my first day in Congress, ending discrimination against gays and lesbians has been a top priority. I have continuously supported legislation that expands our laws in order to better reflect the diverse society in which we live.

We have made great strides in Congress toward achieving equal rights for every American: protecting against violence by passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, ensuring equal visitation rights for all hospital patients and ending discrimination in the military by repealing the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. We celebrated as the Supreme Court issued one of the most transformative and magnificent decisions in the history of our country: Obergefell v. Hodges, recognizing marriage equality as a fundamental right for every American, everywhere.

Recently, I was proud to join Democratic leaders in the House and Senate as we introduced the Equality Act - a historic, comprehensive bill to end discrimination against LGBT Americans once and for all. The Equality Act reaffirms our most fundamental American ideal: that we are all created equal, and that equal protection is the right of every American - no matter who you are, no matter who you love.

We will continue fighting until we end discrimination in the workplace, ensure that all American families are viewed equally in the eyes of the law and stop the bullying of LGBT youth in our schools and in our society. Please know that I will continue to fight against discrimination and work for policies that reflect the ideals of fairness, equality and justice.