Victories and the Work Ahead

by | Nov 18, 2014 | 0 comments

As I come to the close of my first term in Congress, I want to share with you my reflections on the past two years. Before I begin a trip down memory lane, however, I want to say thank you for sending me to Congress. Thank you for letting me have a seat at the table where decisions are made to represent not just south central Wisconsin, but the LGBT community at large.

People often ask what it’s like to serve in Congress—currently the most dysfunctional Congress in modern history. The legislative process is largely broken thanks to the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party. The Tea Party tail is wagging the GOP leadership dog, and little is getting done on the legislative side. But being there allows me to have other impacts.

I remember just one year ago on the afternoon of June 26 when the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision was announced, the co-chairs of the congressional Equality Caucus had a telephone call with President Obama about the law. He promised us swift Federal action for implementing the decision, and that he did. In almost every area of government, swift implementation and strong progress have occurred. In addition, at the request of the Equality Caucus, while Congress stalled, the President moved forward and signed an Employee Non-Discrimination requirement for federal contractors.

We’ve also made progress on transgender rights, including the Senate passing a trans-inclusive ENDA bill to the Social Security Administration, updating policy to allow individuals to change their gender designation to their most recent medically necessary reassignment surgery covered by Medicare.

While the equality front is moving forward here in the US, internationally we are in a darker period. According to the Harvey Milk Foundation, 1 in 6 people that previously had rights across the globe lost them in the last year. From Russia to Brunei and parts of Asia to Uganda, Nigeria and other African nations, too many can be killed or imprisoned for who they love. In Brunei, a newly adopted penal code has legalized violence against its citizens, especially LGBT individuals and women. I was proud to lead a letter with 118 of my colleagues calling on the United States to halt trade negotiations with Brunei until the country addressed its human rights violations. The US must continue to be an active leader for global LGBT equality.

Back here at home, all of the progress towards LGBT equality is because people like you, across the country, got active. We stood up, talked out, organized, and helped elect our own and our allies to office. So thank you for all you have done to advance meaningful pro-equality initiatives across the country.

Let me end by sharing this story—something that drives me every single day I’m in Washington. The day after Senator Tammy Baldwin and I were elected two years ago, a local reporter went to a Gay/Straight Alliance group in one of our local high schools. They interviewed some of the youth. One student talked about the importance of our elections:

“I was always told if I’m gay, I’ll never amount to anything. Well, they’re wrong. Tammy amounted to something. Mark amounted to something.”

Until no one questions that we all matter and amount to something, we have work to do. That’s what’s left for us to finish.


Congressman Mark Pocan is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second district, which includes Dane, Green, Iowa, LaFayette, Sauk, and portions of Rock and Richland counties.

Article Tags

MGHA tournament
Ballet - Timeless - Banner
Advert 77

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MGHA tournament
Ballet - Timeless - Banner
Advert 77

Latest News

Cash & Olive’s Pub

Cash & Olive’s Pub

Jen O’Branovich and Courtney Sargent of Millie’s Coffee & Eatery in Cambridge have traded in the sunny space they formerly occupied in Galleria 214 to expand into a more Sconnie-style environment outside the main drag.

Pain Is In the Brain

Pain Is In the Brain

Nyle Biondi, MS LMFT, was one of the first out trans therapists in the state of Wisconsin and has devoted the past few years to helping others heal from chronic pain and health conditions.

Be Every Day

Be Every Day

A journey of self-discovery, acceptance, and love decades in the making. Follow along and be inspired at how Martha Marvel discovered her truth.

Queer Joy Book Club

Queer Joy Book Club

A Q&A with the Social Media Administrator, Jamie Butler, about a monthly meetup at the Goodman South Madison Public Library. The Queer Joy Book Club strives to be inclusive by considering books available in the Madison library system that have an e-reader option, an audiobook option, or even a graphic novel.

Latest News

VIEW ALL LATEST NEWS

Ballet - Timeless - 300x300
Division of the arts

Events

SUBMIT AN EVENT

VIEW ALL EVENTS

Jobs

SUBMIT A JOB POSTING

VIEW ALL JOBS

Popular Tags

Pin It on Pinterest