Alcee Lamar Hastings

“ The Honest and Open Testimony Act expands existing whistleblower protections between members of the Armed Forces and Members of Congress to include communications from active-duty service members who testify concerning Don't Ask, Don't Tell in a Congressional hearing, as well as those who do so and disclose their sexual orientation.
The United States of America prides itself on having the finest military in the world because of the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices of its brave men and women in uniform. ”

“ It is my sincere hope that Congress and our nation as a whole will work together to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, DOMA, and lift the ban on men who have sex with men, MSM, donating blood. ”

“ The value of Australia's apology is undoubtedly determined by
the Australian government's ability to aggressively address the
systemic inequalities that exclude most Indigenous people from the
standard of living that is held by the vast majority of non-Indigenous
Australians.
Like Australia, racial disparities exist in the United States. ”

“ As Congress prepares to debate the future of Don't Ask, Don't Tell with hearings in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, we must ensure that we hear all sides of the issue and especially from active-duty GLBT service members. The Honest and Open Testimony Act helps achieve this by addressing a major barrier to an inclusive, transparent, and complete hearing process--fear of retribution for testifying honestly and openly about the consequences of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the Armed Forces. ”

“ Mr. Speaker, we live in a good country filled with opportunity and
good people. However, we venture outside of our borders all too little.
The Flinders University of South Australia Washington, DC Internship
Program provides Australian students with the opportunity to travel to
the United States and view our democracy and life in our country.
Equally, the program provides Members and staff with an opportunity to
learn about the political process and life in Australia, a country and
continent that too few of us visit. ”

“ Keeping good troops is good policy, and our GLBT troops are among our most talented and dedicated. As the United States continues to work toward responsibly ending the war in Iraq and reengages the threat from al Qaeda in Afghanistan, our GLBT service members offer invaluable skills that enhance our military's potency and readiness. They are linguists, aviators, medics, and highly trained soldiers who are involved in valuable operations that have nothing to do with their sexual orientation and everything to do with protecting our freedom and advancing our national security interests. ”

“ The so-called Stonewall riots, during which members of the gay community openly challenged institutionalized homophobia, marked the beginning of the modern Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, LGBT, rights movement and led to the formation of gay rights organizations across the United States and around the world. ”

“ Indigenous Australians first arrived on the continent more than
50,000 years ago, developed one of the oldest cultures on earth, and
made world renowned contributions to the arts, politics and athletics
despite the hardships that they faced at home. ”

“ In April, President Obama also mandated that all hospitals extend visitation rights to the partners of gay men and lesbians and that they respect patients' choices about who may make critical health care decisions for them. ”

“ This expansion will be welcome news to the thousands of communities like those I represent. Consider this, since 2009, Congress has dedicated more than $8 billion for multiple rounds of TIGER/BUILD funding. ”

“ The fruit of Tamera's labor has
been passed on to my colleagues in the House of Representatives through
my African American History Month Dear Colleague letters honoring the
lives of a different African American military hero each day. ”

“ Most recently, President Obama extended a wider range of benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, including key protections such as long-term care insurance, health insurance reimbursements, business travel accident insurance, and tax reimbursements for homeowner's insurance. ”