John,

This Pride Month I am evermore grateful for the events celebrating the resilience and joy of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The last few years, MAGA strategists and the GOP have shown that they're willing to play politics with basic human rights.

With the help of a few powerful interest groups, Right-wing extremists have flooded state legislatures with 'don't say gay' bills, bans on gender-affirming care, and dehumanizing restrictions on trans kids, from pronoun usage to 'bathroom bills.'

Their coordinated effort by the GOP is culminating in a dangerous wave of hate — a trend that's prompted The Human Rights Campaign to declare a 'state of emergency' this week, citing the unprecedented 525 pieces of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in state houses this year alone.

In response to these threats at the state level, the members of the House Equality Caucus are working to pass the Equality Act to ensure LGBTQIA+ individuals have equal protection under the law, regardless of whether they live in a "red" or "blue" state. I am proud to cosponsor that legislation.

The 118th Congress broke records with 194 Representatives joining the House Equality Caucus. I am grateful that these numbers are trending in the right direction, but it's deeply troubling that not a single member of my Republican colleagues are standing with us. But, they've made their position clear. The GOP would rather attack and vilify trans kids, their parents, their advocates, their doctors — than accept someone else's experience could be both different than their own and safe.

This Pride Month we celebrate and we push forward toward progress.

Val