Fighting back against MAGA’s attacks on equality

Author: Congressman Jim Mcgovern

It’s no secret that Republicans’ internal chaos has made the 118th Congress the least-productive Congress in modern history. Because of House Republicans’ inability to govern, we’ve only narrowly avoided government shutdowns and defaulting on our national debt. The lack of productivity of the Republican majority isn’t surprising to me. As the Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, I’ve had a front-row seat to House Republicans’ priorities, and let me tell you—it isn’t pretty. My time on the Rules Committee this Congress has made clear that Republicans are more obsessed with attacking the LGBTQI+ community than working to address the challenges facing all Americans.
to the National Defense Authorization Act to ban coverage of medically necessary gender-affirming care for servicemembers. Despite every major medical and mental health association in the United States supporting age-appropriate gender-affirming care, Republicans consistently spread disinformation to appease the most extreme parts of their base.

Every single one of my colleagues in the United States House represents a district that includes members of the LGBTQI+ community. I don’t know how they can justify their votes to put themselves between someone and the scientifically proven, medically necessary care prescribed by a doctor. It’s outrageous, it’s offensive, and it shows that they’re only interested in being bullies and bigots.

We also saw dozens of anti-equality amendments to Republicans’ initial hyper-partisan government funding bills. Some of these amendments targeted medically necessary care and encouraged discrimination against LGBTQI+ people. Two other amendments seemed to be desperate cries for attention in the media, from cutting openly gay Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s salary to $1 to banning Pride Month celebrations by the Department of Defense. Republicans seem to just be throwing their cruel, anti-equality gimmicks at a wall and seeing what sticks.

These are just a handful of the harmful votes Republicans held last year. The Congressional Equality Caucus has published an entire report to keep track of all the anti-equality attacks we saw last year; it’s called OBSESSED: House Republicans’ Relentless Attacks Against the LGBTQI+ Community in 2023.

As a founding Member and Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, I am fully committed to protecting the LGBTQI+ community and advancing a pro-equality agenda. If 2023 taught us anything, we have a lot of work to do in 2024 and beyond. I encourage everyone to read the Equality Caucus’s report at equality.house.gov/obsessed. Republicans’ attacks against the LGBTQI+ community aren’t going to stop anytime soon, and the public must know how Republicans are spending their time in Congress.

Despite these attacks, know that many of us won’t sit quietly as Republicans target the LGBTQI+ community. I’m proud to work with the largest caucus in the United States Congress toward equality because I know that to keep America moving forward, we must be inclusive of the LGBTQI+ community.

Congressman James “Jim” McGovern represents the Massachusetts’s 2nd congressional district and is a Founding Member and a Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus.

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Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Congressman Jim Mcgovern