Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus

Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus
Founded2008
IdeologyLGBTQ rights
Seats in the House
173 / 435
Seats in the House Democratic Caucus
172 / 218
Seats in the House Republican Caucus
1 / 212
Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus Members at the Kick-off Press Conference from left to right: Niki Tsongas (D–MA), José Serrano (D–NY), Xavier Becerra (D–CA), Hilda Solis (D–CA), Jerry Nadler (D–NY), Barbara Lee (D–CA), Tammy Baldwin (D–WI), Lois Capps (D–CA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R–FL), Linda Sánchez (D–CA), Mike Honda (D–CA), James McGovern (D–MA), Barney Frank (D–MA), Chris Shays (R–CT)

The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus was formed by openly gay representatives Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank June 4, 2008, to advance LGBT+ rights. The caucus had 165 members (164 Democrats and one Republican, Jeff Van Drew) in the 116th United States Congress. The caucus is co-chaired by the United States House of Representatives' nine openly LGBTQ members: Representatives David Cicilline, Angie Craig, Sharice Davids, Mondaire Jones, Sean Patrick Maloney, Chris Pappas, Mark Pocan, Mark Takano, and Ritchie Torres.

Mission

The mission of the caucus is to work for LGBTQ rights, the repeal of laws discriminatory against LGBTQ persons, the elimination of hate-motivated violence, and improved health and well-being for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The caucus serves as a resource for Members of Congress, their staffs, and the public on LGBTQ issues. Unlike the Congressional Black Caucus, famous for admitting only black members, the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus admits any member who is willing to advance LGBT rights, regardless of their sexual identity or orientation; it has historically been co-chaired by every openly-LGBTQ member of the House.

Equality PAC

In February 2016 the caucus formed the Equality PAC to support candidates running for federal office who are LGBTQ or seek to advance LGBTQ rights. On March 14, 2016, the board of the Equality PAC voted to endorse Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election.

Task Forces

During the 114th United States Congress, the caucus formed the Transgender Equality Task Force (TETF) and the LGBTQ+ Aging Issues Task Force. In the 116th United States Congress, the TETF is chaired by Joe Kennedy III and the LGBTQ+ Aging Issues Task Force is chaired by Ted Deutch. The TETF is committed to pushing for legislative and administrative action to ensure that transgender people are treated equally and with dignity and respect. The LGBTQ+ Aging Issues Task Force works to push for legislative and administrative action to protect the dignity and security of elderly LGBTQ people.

Membership

Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus in the 117th United States Congress

The below table summarizes the number of caucus members by party over a number of legislative sessions; the drop in membership numbers in the 114th congress was predominantly due to this being the first year that caucus members were charged fees for their membership ($400 per member, $2,100 per vice chair, $7,500 per co-chair):

Congress Democratic Republican Total
111th 90 1 91
112th 101 3 104
113th 112 2 114
114th 55 0 55
115th 113 2 115
116th 164 1 165
117th 172 1 173

List of Caucus members in the 117th Congress:

Co-chairs

Vice chairs

Members

Former co-chairs

Former members

See also


This page was last updated at 2021-12-24 09:14 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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