From The Congressional Record:

SPEECH OF
HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2006

* Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 31st Annual Capital Pride Festival, a celebration of the National Capital Area's Gay , Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender, (GLBT) communities, their families and friends. The Capital Pride Festival has grown from a small block party in 1975 to the current week-long celebration. This year, Capital Pride culminates with the Pride Parade on June 10th and ``The Main Event,'' a street fair on Pennsylvania Avenue in the shadow of the Capitol, June 11th.

* I have marched in the Pride parades since coming to Congress to emphasize the universality of human rights and the importance of enacting Federal legislation to secure those rights for the GLBT community. This year's theme, ``Many Communities, All Proud,'' holds special meaning for the citizens of the District of Columbia and its GLBT community in particular. Washingtonians live in distinct, diverse neighborhoods such as Colonial Village to the North; Fort Drum to the South, Northeast Boundary to the East, and Spring Valley to the West. Yet, we unite in our quest for all the rights guaranteed U.S. citizens by the Constitution.

* In 1994, the District of Columbia lost the first vote it ever won on the floor of the House of Representatives, the delegate vote in the Committee of the Whole. The Republicans retracted the District's vote when they assumed control of the House. Our city of 550,000 residents, 10 percent more residents than the entire State of Wyoming, who pay more taxes per capita than 49 of the 50 states, remains the only jurisdiction in the United States subject to Taxation Without Representation. Our Nation's Capital is entitled full voting rights in the House and the Senate. On May 18, 2006, the House Committee on Government Reform reported out the District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2006. This is the first milepost on DC's road to full and equal representation.

* This one success is a reminder of the pending legislation that the 109th Congress must pass. The Clarification of Federal Employment Protections Act, The Domestic Partner Health Benefits Equity Act. The Domestic Partnership Benefits & Obligations Act, The Early Treatment for HIV Act, The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, The Family & Medical Leave Inclusion Act, The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, The Responsible Education About Life Act, The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, and The Uniting American Families Act.

* I ask the House to join me in welcoming the celebrants attending the 31st Annual Capital Pride Festival in Washington, DC, and I take this opportunity to remind the celebrants that United States Citizens who reside in Washington, DC are taxed without full voting representation in Congress.