[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


  THE RISE OF ANTI-LGBTQI+ EXTREMISM AND VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                              COMMITTEE ON
                          OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION
                               __________

                           DECEMBER 14, 2022
                               __________

                           Serial No. 117-112
                               __________

      Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Reform
      
      
                  [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]      

                       Available on: govinfo.gov,
                         oversight.house.gov or
                             docs.house.gov
                             
                             
                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                    
50-156 PDF                WASHINGTON : 2023                              
                             
                             
                             
                   COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM

                CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York, Chairwoman

Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of   James Comer, Kentucky, Ranking 
    Columbia                             Minority Member
Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts      Jim Jordan, Ohio
Jim Cooper, Tennessee                Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia         Jody B. Hice, Georgia
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois        Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Jamie Raskin, Maryland               Michael Cloud, Texas
Ro Khanna, California                Bob Gibbs, Ohio
Kweisi Mfume, Maryland               Clay Higgins, Louisiana
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York   Ralph Norman, South Carolina
Rashida Tlaib, Michigan              Pete Sessions, Texas
Katie Porter, California             Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Cori Bush, Missouri                  Andy Biggs, Arizona
Shontel M. Brown, Ohio               Andrew Clyde, Georgia
Danny K. Davis, Illinois             Nancy Mace, South Carolina
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida    Scott Franklin, Florida
Peter Welch, Vermont                 Jake LaTurner, Kansas
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr.,      Pat Fallon, Texas
    Georgia                          Yvette Herrell, New Mexico
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland           Byron Donalds, Florida
Jackie Speier, California            Mike Flood, Nebraska
Robin L. Kelly, Illinois
Brenda L. Lawrence, Michigan
Mark DeSaulnier, California
Jimmy Gomez, California
Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts

                      Russ Anello, Staff Director
            Elisa LaNier, Operations Director & Chief Clerk

                      Contact Number: 202-225-5051

                  Mark Marin, Minority Staff Director
                                 ------                                


                       C  O  N  T  E  N  T  Scons

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                                                                   Page
Hearing held on December 14, 2022................................     1

                               Witnesses

Panel 1

Mr. Michael Anderson, Survivor of Club Q Shooting
    Oral Statement...............................................     5
Mr. Matthew Haynes, Founding Owner of Club Q
    Oral Statement...............................................     7
Mr. James Slaugh, Survivor of Club Q Shooting
    Oral Statement...............................................     8

Panel 2
Kelley Robinson, President, Human Rights Campaign
    Oral Statement...............................................    11

Olivia Hunt, Policy Director, National Center for Transgender 
  Equality
    Oral Statement...............................................    12
Ilan Meyer, Distinguished Senior Scholar for Public Policy, The 
  Williams Institute
    Oral Statement...............................................    14
Charles Fain Lehman, Fellow, Manhattan Institute For Policy 
  ResearchContributing Editor, City Journal
    Oral Statement...............................................    16
Jessica Pocock, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, 
  Inside Out Youth Services
    Oral Statement...............................................    17
Brandon Wolf, Survivor of Pulse Nightclub Shooting
    Oral Statement...............................................    18

 Opening statements and the prepared statements for the witnesses 
  are available in the U.S. House of Representatives Repository 
  at: docs.house.gov.

                           INDEX OF DOCUMENTS

                              ----------                              

  * Fox News, ``More than 100 pro-life orgs, churches attacked 
  since Dobbs leak''; submitted by Rep. Hice.

  * Fox News, ``Virginia Christian group denied service at 
  restaurant over safety concerns: 'Amazingly hypocritical';'' 
  submitted by Rep. Hice.

  * Statements from the Equality Caucus Transgender Equality Task 
  Force co-chairs; submitted by Cicilline.

  * National Education Association (NEA) Statement for the 
  Record.

  * National Women's Law Center - (NWLC) Statement for the 
  Record.

  * NWLC LGBTQ+ Resources.

The documents listed are available at: docs.house.gov.

 
  THE RISE OF ANTI-LGBTQI+ EXTREMISM AND VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES

                              ----------                              


                      Wednesday, December 14, 2022

                  House of Representatives,
                 Committee on Oversight and Reform,
                                                   Washington, D.C.
    The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:10 a.m., in 
room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, and via Zoom; the 
Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney [chairwoman of the committee] 
presiding.
    Present: Representatives Maloney, Norton, Lynch, Connolly, 
Raskin, Khanna, Tlaib, Porter, Bush, Brown, Davis, Welch, 
Johnson, Kelly, DeSaulnier, Gomez, Pressley, Comer, Foxx, Hice, 
Grothman, Cloud, Gibbs, Keller, Fallon, Herrell, and Donalds.
    Also present: Representatives Cicilline and Jones.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The committee will come to order.
    Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a 
recess of the committee at any time.
    I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
    It is with a heavy heart that I convene today's hearing to 
examine the rise of extremism and violence against LGBTQI+ 
people in the United States.
    Last month a person with an AR-15-style assault rifle 
entered Club Q, a nightclub that served as a haven for LGBTQI+ 
people in the Colorado Springs community, and opened fire on 
unsuspecting bar patrons and staff.
    The attacker's depravity robbed us of five innocent lives--
Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, 
and Derrick Rump.
    More than a dozen people were injured in the rampage, and 
family members and loved ones who were left reeling have been 
forced to pick up the pieces. My heart breaks for those who 
endured this ruthless act of violence.
    The Club Q shooting represents an attack on all sacred 
places for LGBTQI+ people across the country that offer the 
promise of community and refuge from rampant bigotry.
    In attacking Club Q, the shooter targeted the sense of 
safety among the LGBTQI+ people across the country, a feeling 
of security to which they are entitled.
    The attack on Club Q and the LGBTQI community is not an 
isolated incident, but part of a broader trend of violence and 
intimidation across our country.
    Earlier this month, a group of extremists appeared at a 
Lakeland, Florida, arts festival featuring drag performances to 
harass and intimidate performers and attendees. The extremist 
group, whose faces were concealed by masks, carried a banner 
with anti-LGBTQI+ slurs and raised their arms in Nazi salutes.
    And in my own community in New York City, home of Stonewall 
and the international capital of the LGBTQI+ rights movement, a 
man was arrested for throwing bricks at the windows of a gay 
bar on four different occasions.
    These actions are the culmination of years of anti-LGBTQI 
extremism that began in statehouses across the country and 
spread to social media platforms before boiling over into the 
communities where we reside.
    In 2018, Republicans in state governments across the 
country introduced 110 pieces of legislation targeting the 
health and safety of LGBTQI people. In the past legislative 
session, this number tripled to more than 340 pieces of anti-
LGBTQI legislation.
    These bills which villainize LGBTQI+ people in classroom 
settings and target healthcare for LGBTQI people and more 
directly threaten the freedom of LGBTQI people to live 
authentically and safely.
    For example, one piece of legislation signed into law by 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis prohibits teachers from even 
mentioning LGBTQI+ people in classrooms. This, quote, ``Don't 
Say Gay Or Trans,'' end quote, law erases the existence of 
LGBTQI people and families and muzzles our nation's brightest 
educators.
    Within a month of Florida passing this legislation, two 
additional states passed similar bills. In total, 48 bills in 
more than 20 states have considered eliminating or suppressing 
LGBTQI people and history in the school curriculum.
    Here in Congress, dozens of House Republicans have 
cosponsored Federal legislation to prohibit Federal funding for 
schools with curricula that affirms LGBTQI people. And 
Republicans at every level of government have gone even further 
to villainize transgender people, targeting their ability to 
access necessary healthcare and restricting their freedom to 
participate as full members of our society.
    These hateful pieces of legislation have fueled a dangerous 
rise in extreme anti-LGBTQI rhetoric following the passage of 
Florida's Don't Say Gay or Trans law. Vitriolic social media 
content accusing members of the LGBTQI community of being 
groomers skyrocketed by more than 400 percent.
    The committee received a video submission from Ms. Sarah 
Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAD, one of the nation's 
leading LGBTQI+ media advocacy organizations, explaining the 
proliferation of anti-LGBTQI+ extremism across our media 
landscape and its relationship to the kind of violence we 
observed at Club Q.
    I'd like to play this video now if we could.
    [Video shown.]
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
    As Republicans have fanned the flames of bigotry, Democrats 
have remained committed to protecting and advancing the health, 
safety, and rights of the LGBTQI+ people.
    Last year House Democrats passed the Equality Act, landmark 
legislation that would enshrine protections against 
discrimination for LGBTQI+ people into law.
    And this past June, to commemorate Pride Month, this 
committee shepherded the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act to House 
passage. This groundbreaking legislation would expand Federal 
data collection efforts to improve our ability to understand 
and address the specific challenges facing the LGBTQI+ people.
    More than 200 House Republicans voted against each of these 
pieces of legislation.
    As a longtime public servant, the fight for LGBT+ equality 
is one that has always been close to my heart. As a New York 
City Council member serving the very community where the famous 
queer activist Edie Windsor resided, I was proud to introduce 
the first legislation recognizing domestic partnership in New 
York state history.
    Just last week, Congress took the historic step of 
protecting the right to same-sex marriage under Federal law, 
and President Biden signed it into law yesterday with over 
5,000 Americans on the lawn of the Capitol appreciating this 
act. But the work of ensuring that LGBTQ+ people can live 
authentically and safely is only just beginning.
    Today we will hear from some of the nation's leading 
experts regarding the rise of anti-LGBTQI extremism, the damage 
it inflicts upon our communities, and the steps we must take to 
eliminate it.
    I am pleased to welcome the new president of the Human 
Rights Campaign, Ms. Kelley Robinson, for her first appearance 
before Congress.
    We will also hear directly from survivors of the violent 
Club Q attack. And I am deeply grateful for the bravery of 
these individuals in recounting their horrific experiences. 
Their testimony will serve as a tremendous public service for 
their community and for our nation.
    Thank you.
    Let us honor them by recommitting to the bold action 
necessary to ensure that every person in the United States can 
experience the freedom to live authentically and safely 
regardless of who they love or how they identify.
    I now yield to the distinguished ranking member, Mr. Comer 
from Kentucky, for his opening statement.
    Mr. Comer. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    I want to thank our witnesses who have joined us today for 
our last full committee hearing under Chairman Maloney's 
tenure, and I'll have more to say about that at the conclusion 
of the hearing.
    My thoughts and prayers go out to the Colorado and Florida 
shooting victims' families and friends. No one should have to 
experience what you all have experienced.
    Let me state clearly, as we have consistently said, 
Republicans condemn violence in all forms. Unfortunately, 
Democrats are using committee time and resources today to blame 
Republicans for this horrendous crime. This is not an oversight 
hearing. This is a blame Republicans so we don't have to take 
responsibility for our own defund the police and soft on crime 
policies.
    Just a quick review of the facts tells us the individual 
responsible for these heinous crimes was not a stranger to law 
enforcement. In fact, the shooter was arrested last year for 
violent threats against their mother. And no doubt about it, 
this individual has a sad and troubled past with no parental 
support. But Democrats, as usual, have intentionally jumped to 
conclusions while ignoring the facts. Why? Because it's 
politically convenient to blame your political opponents.
    It's easier to blame Republicans than have a serious 
discussion about the rise of violent crimes across the nation, 
including this individual's heinous crimes at Club Q in 
Colorado. It's easier, but it's also irresponsible and 
reckless.
    Instead, we should be focused on the alarming rise of 
violent crime across our country today, crimes that target all 
races and ethnicities. We are seeing rises in threats and 
crimes across many communities and institutions, including 
historically Black colleges and universities, Asian 
communities, Jewish communities, and Christian communities. 
Churches and pro-life institutions are facing a historic 
increase in violence and targeted attacks which go largely 
underreported. The Department of Justice has remained fairly 
silent as well.
    The rise in crime in America is the second-largest concern 
for Americans, second only to this administration's inflation 
crisis. Recent data shows that violent crime increased by 4.2 
percent nationwide over the first six months of 2022.
    In New York, violent crime increased by more than 40 
percent compared to 2021. In Los Angeles, homicides reached 
their highest levels in 15 years during the first half of 2020. 
In New Orleans, homicides increased by 40 percent. Right here 
in D.C., homicides were up 14 percent from 2020 to 2021.
    Crime is simply out of control in large Democrat-led 
cities. The extent of the rise in crime, however, may even be 
worse than the current data shows. Recent reporting revealed 
the FBI's national crime data for 2021 was largely incomplete, 
lacking data from 37 percent of law enforcement agencies 
nationwide. The FBI's national crime data does not even include 
full crime reports from New York, Los Angeles, two of the 
largest and most crime-stricken cities in the country.
    On this committee, we should be using our time and 
resources to conduct oversight into the rise of violent crimes 
committed against all Americans and organizations. Everyday 
Americans, no matter what side of the aisle, are living in the 
high crime environment.
    Democrats' defund the police movement has successfully 
taken resources from and crushed the morale of police forces 
across the country. Without the police, we lose our first line 
of defense for victims of all crime.
    In addition, Democrats have focused on electing leftist 
prosecutors with soft-on-crime policies and allowing crime to 
run rampant in the United States. No one wants to see horrific 
events like what happened in Colorado and Florida occurring in 
America. More needs to be done to reverse soft-on-crime 
policies and refund the police to make the streets of America's 
cities and towns safe.
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today, 
especially about the spike in crime across the country, 
underpolicing, and increase in violence against all Americans.
    Thank you, Madam Chair. And I yield back.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
    Before we introduce our witnesses, I'd like to ask 
unanimous consent to allow Congress Members David Cicilline and 
Mondaire Jones to participate in today's hearing for the 
purposes of asking questions.
    Without objection, so ordered.
    Now we will introduce our first panel of witnesses. Please 
note that these witnesses will only be giving statements; they 
will not be taking questions.
    First, we will hear from Michael Anderson, a survivor of 
the Club Q shooting.
    Then we will hear from Mr. Matthew Haynes, founding owner 
of Club Q.
    Finally, we will hear from Mr. James Slaugh, a survivor of 
the Club Q shooting.
    And the witnesses will be unmuted so we can swear them in.
    Please raise your right hand.
    Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to 
give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth 
so help you God?
    Let the record show that the witnesses answered in the 
affirmative.
    Thank you.
    Without objection, your written statements will be made 
part of the historical record of this meeting.
    With that, Mr. Anderson, you are now recognized for five 
minutes for your testimony.

   STATEMENT OF MICHAEL ANDERSON, SURVIVOR OF CLUB Q SHOOTING

    Mr. Anderson. To the distinguished members of the House 
Oversight Committee, thank you for inviting us here today.
    Growing up in Lakeland, Florida, I was taught in my private 
religious school and by many conservative voices to hate who I 
was, that being born gay was something to reject.
    A young person should never have to feel that way. So, I 
waited silent and suffering until I was 16, and then I came 
out.
    It was places like gay bars and clubs that helped me 
embrace who I was and formed me into the man I am today. Club Q 
was and will, once again, be a safe place, not just for the 
LGBTQ community, but for everyone else, too.
    If you are fortunate enough to intimately know LGBTQ 
people, you will find some of the kindest, funniest, accepting, 
and most welcoming people. Those are the people that found a 
safe place in Club Q and deserve to, once again, have that safe 
space.
    On November 19, 2022, a deranged shooter entered Club Q 
armed with an assault rifle, a pistol, an incredibly disturbing 
amount of ammunition, and an even more disturbing amount of 
hatred in their heart, all while cowardly hiding behind a 
bulletproof vest.
    The shooter entered our safe space and our home with the 
intention of killing as many people as possible as quickly as 
possible. They used a military-style weapon that exists solely 
for the intention of killing other human beings and began to 
hunt us down as if our lives meant nothing.
    I was bartending that evening when the attack began. I felt 
more terrified than I ever have before in my life. I ran for my 
life that night and hid, praying and hoping the violence would 
end. When I stared down the barrel of that gun, I realized I 
stood no chance against a weapon of that power, magazine 
capacity, and seemingly automatic firing rate.
    While I prepared for my life to end in that moment, I 
prayed, I panicked, and I prayed some more. God must have heard 
my prayers because two brave men stopped the shooter moments 
before he would have inevitably found me.
    I saw my friend lying on the floor, bleeding out, knowing 
there was little to no chance of surviving that bullet wound. I 
had to tell him good-bye while I continued to fear for my life 
not knowing if the attack was truly over.
    I can still hear the rapid firing of bullets today. It's a 
sound I may never forget. It's a sound I hope no one here or 
anywhere else in this country has to hear.
    I say all of this not because it's easy to do so, but 
because it's important to do so.
    I plead you all to appeal to your heart, your morality, and 
your humanity to do something about this issue. I want to thank 
President Biden for fighting to reinstate the assault weapons 
ban, and I sincerely hope you will support that reform so that 
we may try to prevent more people from needlessly dying at the 
hands of that weapon.
    Not only am I embarrassed for our country's international 
reputation of inaction on gun reform, but I am, frankly, 
disgusted.
    Between 1994 and 2004, America's mass shooting incidents 
dropped dramatically. Following the expiration of the assault 
weapons ban, which the Republican Party allowed to expire under 
President Bush, we now have an epidemic of domestic terrorism 
and violence.
    The time to do something is now. What needs to be done is 
placing the lives of children and adults above our unhealthy 
obsession with assault rifles, and you are some of the ones who 
can make a difference.
    Many in our government say nothing can be done, this 
epidemic of violence is just the price we must pay for freedom 
in this country.
    That is a lie. The facts speak for themselves, and your 
denial of this gun violence reality is not a policy proposal.
    I encourage you all to work together to save our children 
and adults, and, in turn, save ourselves and the soul of our 
nation.
    To the politicians and activists who accuse LGBTQ people of 
grooming children and being abusers, shame on you. As leaders 
of our country, it is your obligation to represent all of us, 
not just the ones you happen to agree with. Hate speech turns 
into hate action, and actions based on hate almost took my life 
from me at 25 years old.
    I beg you all to consider your words before you speak them, 
for someone may use those words to justify action, action that 
may take someone's life.
    To my fellow LGBTQ community, events like this are designed 
to discourage us from speaking and living our truth. They are 
designed to scare us from living openly, courageously, and 
proudly. We must not succumb to fear. We must look prouder and 
louder than ever before. We must continue to be who we are, for 
who we are is exactly who we are meant to be.
    And to the children watching this, feeling you may not be 
like the other kids, I understand you and I see you. You 
deserve to be exactly who you are no matter what anyone else 
has to say.
    In the words of my personal icon, Christina Aguilera, ``You 
are beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can't bring you 
down, so don't let them bring you down today.''
    To Chairman Maloney, I thank you for making this a 
priority. To the House Oversight Committee, thank you for 
hearing us today. I hope my truth can help usher America into 
its next and greatest chapter yet.
    My name is Michael Anderson. I am 25 years old. I am a 
proud gay man. And now I am a survivor of a mass shooting. I 
hope we can work together to end this carnage in our country.
    Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you very much.
    With that, we now recognize Mr. Haynes.
    You are now recognized for your testimony.

     STATEMENT OF MATTHEW HAYNES, FOUNDING OWNER OF CLUB Q

    Mr. Haynes. Thank you and good morning.
    My name is Matthew Haynes, and I am the founding owner of 
Club Q in Colorado Springs.
    I would first like to acknowledge and thank our local LGBTQ 
organizations, the city of Colorado Springs, the state of 
Colorado, and the national team at GLAAD and so many other 
organizations for the efforts and support they have all 
provided to our community.
    Thank you, Chairman Maloney, for such an accurate and 
telling opening statement. And thank you, the House Oversight 
Committee, for creating the space and time to meet with us 
today.
    I know that we, our Club Q community, are in the thoughts 
and prayers of so many of you. Unfortunately, these thoughts 
and prayers alone are not saving lives. They are not changing 
the rhetoric of hate.
    None of us ever imagined that our little bar in Colorado 
Springs would be the target of the next hate crime. And I, 
again, repeat we were targeted for the next hate crime.
    Last week, 305 charges were filed against the Club Q 
shooter. Forty-eight of these charges were hate-crime related.
    The number 305 alone graphically illustrates just how 
heinous this act was and how many people in this community were 
impacted. It also illustrates how much damage can be done when 
you take hate and access to military-style assault weapons. 
Putting those together is total carnage. We were lucky that 
night that the casualties were not much higher.
    When we opened 20 years ago, Colorado Springs was a very 
different place. I am proud to have remained in Colorado 
Springs over the years, even when we did not feel welcome.
    Club Q has been a home for the community for 20 years. We 
are proud to say it will, once again, become our home. One man 
full of hate will not destroy us.
    Now is a critical time for national, state, local, 
community, and religious leaders to drop the politics and work 
with our leaders and small business owners to support and 
affirm LGBTQ events, venues, communities, and most importantly, 
people.
    We need safe places like Club Q more than ever. And we need 
you, our leaders, to support and protect us. We have received 
hundreds of hate comments. I cannot read them all, but I'm 
going to read you a few examples.
    ``I woke up to the wonderful news that five mentally 
unstable faggots and lesbians and 18 injured. The only thing 
I'm mad about is that the faggots had courage to subdue the 
wonderful killer. I hope more shootings happen. Have a blessed 
day.''
    ``The shooter was doing God's work, five less faggots, not 
enough. Those that stopped him are the devil. All gays should 
die.''
    This is hate. It is not just us that is experiencing this. 
Our hero, Army veteran Rich Fierro, and his wife Jessica told 
me that they and their daughter have also been receiving 
similar hate messages.
    Finally, my husband and I had the honor to attend the White 
House ceremony for the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act 
yesterday. It was honestly the first joy and pride I have felt 
since these horrific events at Club Q.
    And while the protections for marriage like my own were 
signed into Federal law, I could not help but reflect that 169 
Members of Congress voted against that bill; 169 of your 
colleagues, hiding behind excuses and schematics and other 
reasons, sent a message to me, and it was a clear message, that 
the entire community--I'm sorry--to me and the entire community 
that you do not respect my marriage.
    And through your inaction and your vote, you as a leader 
send the clear message it is OK not to respect the basic human 
rights of loving who you love, and it is OK to disrespect and 
not support our marriages.
    We are being slaughtered and dehumanized across this 
country in communities you took oaths to protect. LGBTQ issues 
are not political issues. They are not lifestyles. They are not 
beliefs. They are not choices. They are basic human rights.
    And so, I ask you today not simply what are you doing to 
safeguard LGBTQ Americans, but rather, what are you or other 
leaders doing to make America unsafe for LGBTQ people?
    Club Q is grieving. We are rebuilding. We are fighting. 
Let's stop this from happening again.
    Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you very much.
    And, Mr. Slaugh, you are now recognized for your testimony.

     STATEMENT OF JAMES SLAUGH, SURVIVOR OF CLUB Q SHOOTING

    Mr. Slaugh. Thank you.
    My name is James Slaugh, and I want to thank the House 
Oversight Committee and Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney for allowing 
me to share my story today.
    I want to start with my coming out story as it involves my 
family, their support, and, in the beginning, homophobia.
    My sister Charlene actually helped pave the way for me to 
come out, for me to feel safe. She was forced out of the closet 
by our mother and ultimately forced out of the house.
    When she was, our household went through a transformation. 
In the end, after a long process of learning and understanding, 
our mother chose her children and accepted who we are.
    It was this road that allowed me to feel safe enough at 24 
years old to say, ``Hey, mom, I like guys,'' in a conversation. 
She recently passed away, but before she died, for the past 15 
years, she became an advocate for our community. She chose 
love, and love will win in the end. And this goes especially in 
her religious circles who dehumanized us.
    The events of November 19 were a nightmare come true and 
one of my biggest fears. Right before midnight on the eve of 
the Transgender Day of Remembrance, my boyfriend Jancarlos and 
I were about to leave Club Q when a shooter walked in.
    Several pops rang out and I immediately felt a searing pain 
in my arm. I fell over on the ground, knowing I had been shot 
in my right arm. It wasn't working, but I was able to call 911.
    I saw everyone on the ground, glass panes shattered, and 
blood running from my arm and chest where shrapnel had come 
through. Jancarlos was next to me, shot in the leg but 
thankfully alive.
    To my horror, my sister Charlene was bleeding out. She had 
been shot over five times. My heart rended as she tried to dial 
911 with her good arm outstretched. I called out to her, and I 
heard no response.
    I don't want to imagine what may happen had the shooter not 
been taken down that night. Five wonderful people were still 
murdered and may we never forget their names--Ashley Paugh, 
Raymond Green Vance, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, and Kelly 
Loving. We miss each of you.
    Club Q was a second home and safe space not just for me, 
but for all of us. Outside of these spaces, we are continually 
being dehumanized, marginalized, and targeted.
    The fear-based and hateful rhetoric surrounding the LGBTQ+ 
community, especially around trans individuals and drag 
performers, leads to violence, it incites violence. We 
shouldn't have to fear being shot when we go to our safe spaces 
or anywhere for that matter.
    It was only after this violation of our safe space that I 
came to realize, though, we have a lot more love in this world.
    Before sunrise, we were already receiving messages from all 
over the world with affirmations of love, people we have never 
met giving us their best wishes. A family friend immediately 
started a GoFundMe, and we've experienced a ton of support.
    When I left the hospital, I was brought to tears just by 
the memorial that had been created in front of the club, in 
front of my safe space.
    I want to thank the Colorado victims' advocates who have 
been instrumental in our recovery and helping with funds and, 
of course, the staff at GLAAD who have simply been amazing in 
helping me use my voice.
    Hate rhetoric from politicians, religious leaders, and 
media outlets is at the root of the attacks like at Club Q, and 
it needs to stop now, rhetoric that makes people less than for 
being different, rhetoric that threatens to silence what sports 
we can play, what bathrooms we can use, how we define our 
family, and who I can marry.
    Every American, especially those elected to positions of 
power, has a responsibility and a choice to use their words 
consciously. Hate starts with speech. The hateful rhetoric 
you've heard from elected leaders is the direct cause of the 
horrific shooting at Club Q. We need elected leaders to 
demonstrate language that reflects love and understanding, not 
hate and fear.
    I urge LGBTQ+ Americans and allies to join together today 
as one community. Hateful people want to drive us back into 
closets and to live our lives in fear, but we cannot be afraid. 
No bullets will stop us from being proud of who we are or will 
injure the support and love that exists in our community.
    Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you for sharing your incredibly 
powerful testimony with us today. We appreciate your taking the 
time to be with us, to join with our committee hearing. And you 
are all excused. Thank you so much.
    We will briefly recess while the panels switch.
    [Recess.]
    Chairwoman Maloney. The committee will come to order, and 
we will now introduce our second panel of witnesses, who will 
be taking questions.
    First, we will hear from Ms. Kelley Robinson, the new 
president of the Human Rights Campaign.
    Then we will hear from Ms. Olivia Hunt, policy director of 
the National Center for Transgender Equality.
    Then we will hear from Dr. Ilan Meyer, distinguished senior 
scholar for public policy at the Williams Institute.
    Then we will hear from Mr. Charles Fain Lehman, fellow at 
the Manhattan Institute.
    Then we will hear from Ms. Jessie Pocock, CEO and executive 
director of Inside Out Youth Services.
    Finally, we will hear from Mr. Brandon Wolf, survivor of 
the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
    The witnesses will be unmuted now so that we may swear you 
in.
    Please raise your right hand.
    Do you swear and affirm that the testimony you're about to 
give is the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you 
God?
    Let the record show that the witnesses answered in the 
affirmative.
    Thank you.
    Without objection, your written statements will be part of 
the record.
    With that, Ms. Robinson, you are now recognized for your 
testimony. Congratulations on your election.

 STATEMENT OF KELLEY ROBINSON, PRESIDENT, HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

    Ms. Robinson. Thank you, Chair Maloney. Thank you, Ranking 
Member Comer and members of the committee, for the opportunity 
to testify today.
    My name is Kelly Robinson. My pronouns are she, her, hers. 
And I'm the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the 
nation's largest civil rights organization working to achieve 
equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 
people.
    On behalf of our more than 3 million members and 
supporters, I am honored to testify at this important hearing 
and to demand united action to end the rising tide of hate and 
violence targeting our community.
    I'm so grateful for the strength and courage of the Club Q 
survivors testifying here today. Compounding this tragedy is 
the fact that this incident is just one example of the violence 
that has shattered LGBTQ+ lives, our families, our communities 
in the past few years.
    Violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities are 
the tragic result of a society that devalues our lives, 
particularly the lives of Black and Brown transgender and 
gender nonconforming people.
    And this hate and violence is on the rise. It's fueled by 
nearly unfettered access to guns, political extremism, and 
rhetoric that is deliberately devised to make our community 
less safe, less equal, and less free.
    Violence has become a lived reality for so many in our 
community. Even in 2021, one in five of all hate crimes 
reported to the FBI were motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias.
    These violent threats disproportionately impact transgender 
people. Over the last 10 years, the Human Rights Campaign has 
tracked over 300 incidents of fatal violence against 
transgender and gender nonconforming people. In 2022 so far, 
we've recorded the murders of 35 people. Among the community 
members lost this year, 85 percent were people of color and 85 
percent were transgender women.
    These acts of hatred have devastating consequences. Often 
these experiences leave community members, especially 
marginalized people, more likely to live in poverty, to 
experience housing instability and homelessness, and to lack 
access to opportunities that would allow them and their 
families to thrive.
    This violence does not happen in a vacuum. Anti-LGBTQ+ 
lawmakers' efforts directly increase the risk of violence 
facing our communities today.
    State lawmakers have advanced an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ 
bills to restrict where and how we can freely and openly be our 
true selves. In 2022, 344 of these bills were introduced across 
23 states. More than 25 of these bills were ultimately enacted 
across 13 states, 17 of which have a disproportionate or 
targeted impact on transgender people.
    These bills often target the youngest among us, harming 
children and their families. They also target the trained 
professionals like doctors and teachers who care for them.
    These unrelenting efforts by extremist lawmakers help 
reinforce inflammatory narratives about our community 
regardless of whether or not the underlying bills are enacted.
    These narratives have been weaponized many times in the 
past against our community to enact discriminatory laws, to 
encourage extremist rhetoric, and to enable violence.
    The recent increase in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric amplified by 
lawmakers is fueling growing attacks in our communities. It's 
happening in statehouses, in schools, and on street corners.
    Yesterday, we released a report identifying 24 hospitals 
and providers across 22 states attacked online following 
misleading and inflammatory social media posts from bad actors.
    Just last week, California State Senator Scott Wiener, 
himself a gay Jewish man, was the target of a bomb threat 
because of his support working with trans youth and their 
families. Included in the threat were two words: pedophile and 
groomer.
    These threats are being made in every corner of our country 
targeting LGBTQ+ people, our spaces, and our allies. It's 
happening in Tulsa where vandals firebombed a donut shop after 
it hosted an art installation run by drag queens. It happened 
in Texas after a pastor uploaded a video asserting that gay 
people be, quote, ``lined up against the wall and shot in the 
back of the head.''
    We must take action. We must take action to prevent future 
violence and harm against my communities.
    First, social media companies, lawmakers, and other 
stakeholders must establish guidelines and practices to fight 
disinformation and hate online.
    Second, we must pass the Equality Act to level the playing 
field and ensure that LGBTQ+ people are protected from 
discrimination.
    And third, we have to pass commonsense gun safety measures 
to protect our communities from the most extreme acts of 
violence.
    Ultimately, we all have to work to repudiate anti-LGBTQ+ 
rhetoric and falsehoods in the strongest possible terms because 
our lives are quite literally on the line.
    Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
    Then we will hear from Ms. Olivia Hunt, policy director of 
the National Center for Transgender Equality.

STATEMENT OF OLIVIA HUNT, POLICY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR 
                      TRANSGENDER EQUALITY

    Ms. Hunt. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the committee. 
Thank you very much for convening this hearing and shining a 
light on the causes of the increasing violence facing the LGBTQ 
community.
    Working at the National Center for Transgender Equality has 
been a dream job for me since before I started law school, and 
there's been no greater honor in my career than being invited 
here today to speak with the committee on behalf of my 
community.
    This has been a dream job for me, but also a job that I 
hope will one day no longer be necessary. The past year's 
events make it clear, though, that day is still a long way off.
    A month ago, my colleagues and I prepared a remembrance 
report honoring the 47 known transgender Americans whose lives 
have been lost to violence since November 2021.
    We released it on November 18. Before dawn on Transgender 
Day of Remembrance, November 20, the shooting at Club Q meant 
it was already out of date.
    Like all the acts of fatal violence targeting our 
community, the shooting at Club Q didn't happen in a vacuum.
    This summer, Representative Comer tweeted that we need to 
examine the root causes of increased violence in America. 
Today, we're doing just that.
    This violence was catalyzed by a cultural climate filled 
with anti-LGBTQ legislation, think pieces debating the validity 
of our humanity under the guise of just asking questions, 
politicians and public figures encouraging their bases to 
target and threaten LGBTQ-friendly events and organizations, 
and fearmongering in the press and on social media.
    Most of these attacks and the misinformation that fuels 
them are targeted at trans people and far too often at trans 
youth. In 2022, NCTE tracked 207 different pieces of anti-trans 
legislation across 35 states. Twelve states enacted at least 
one of these bills. More than 80 percent of them targeted the 
rights of vulnerable trans youth and young adults.
    In addition, this year politicians in several states used 
administrative rather than legislative processes to attack the 
rights of trans people. For instance, in Texas the attorney 
general misused his authority to harass the supportive families 
of trans children, falsely labeling their support of their 
children as child abuse.
    When politicians and pundits treat trans people's lives as 
a matter of public debate, the media responds in kind, giving 
anti-trans advocates a larger platform to share their hostile 
rhetoric.
    Sensationalist headlines lead stories that care more about 
attracting clicks and advertising impressions than in reporting 
the facts.
    For example, just days before the Club Q shooting, The New 
York Times published a front-page article perpetuating 
misinformation about gender-affirming care for children.
    Even when anti-trans policies are defeated, they impact the 
transgender public. In a 2021 study by The Trevor Project, 85 
percent of trans youth reported that the public debates around 
their civil rights and their place in society left them scared, 
stressed, angry, and hopeless.
    Even more concerning, the same dehumanizing rhetoric that 
harms trans youth also inflames anti-LGBTQ sentiment among the 
general public. When politicians and the media paint trans 
people as something to be treated with fear and disgust, people 
who are already receptive to that message take it to heart and 
it reinforces their prejudices. In their minds, trans people 
either become victims to be saved from ourselves or villains to 
be punished.
    One example of this in action is the misuse of the term 
``groomer.'' Anti-LGBTQ activists have appropriated this 
terminology used by survivors of childhood sexual abuse and 
used it to slander LGBTQ people and our allies as predatory, 
harmful toward children.
    In reality, trans people are significantly more likely to 
be the victims of sexual abuse than perpetrators of it. And now 
this misused terminology has become part of the political 
discourse around trans people and is invoked as a reason to 
further restrict our rights in the name of protecting children.
    This same rhetoric has subsequently been used as 
justification for violent anti-LGBTQ activism. Heavily armed 
protesters have made numerous attacks or attempts at 
intimidation against family friendly Pride events and drag 
performances around the country.
    Even hospitals have been targeted with bomb threats and 
intimidation tactics based on social media figures spreading 
baseless stories that the providers are, in their words, 
``mutilating children.''
    There's a straight line that can be drawn from the 
legislation trying to strip trans people of our human rights to 
the increasingly hostile and inflammatory rhetoric portraying 
us as a threat to society to the acts of violence that have 
taken far too many lives.
    The people engaged in these efforts, from the politicians 
and media figures who normalize the dehumanization of trans 
people to the influencers who vilify us on social media to the 
people brandishing firearms and making bomb threats, bear 
culpability for the violence that ensues.
    The Williams Institute estimates that there are 1.6 million 
Americans aged 13 and up who are transgender. We live in every 
state in the nation. We are librarians, we are your baristas, 
your postal workers, your IT department. We're your children, 
your doctors, your nurses, and your ministers. Trans people are 
also your constituents.
    Trans people are part of the fabric of American society. We 
belong, we deserve to be protected, and we matter.
    Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you very much.
    And, Dr. Meyer, you are now recognized for your testimony.
    Dr. Meyer.

   STATEMENT OF ILAN MEYER, DISTINGUISHED SENIOR SCHOLAR FOR 
             PUBLIC POLICY, THE WILLIAMS INSTITUTE

    Mr. Meyer. Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney, Ranking Member Comer, and distinguished 
members of the committee, I'm a public health researcher, 
senior scholar of public policy at the Williams Institute at 
UCLA School of Law.
    My area of expertise is the study of the effects of social 
stress related to prejudice and discrimination on the health of 
LGBTQ populations.
    LGBTQ rights have seen significant developments in the past 
few decades, but homophobia and transphobia are embedded in 
American history and culture, and they produce stress, which I 
refer to as minority stress.
    This stress intersects with stigma and prejudice based on 
other statuses so that different LGBTQ subgroups, such as LGBTQ 
people of color, experience this social stress differently. But 
every LGBTQ person has to learn to cope with stress related to 
stigma throughout their lives.
    Studies have concluded that minority stress experienced by 
LGBTQ people can result in an array of mental health problems, 
including depressive symptoms, substance use, and suicide 
ideation and attempt.
    In recent years we have seen a resurgence of anti-LGBTQ 
rhetoric and violence, including the recent shooting in Club Q 
in Colorado. But violence against LGBTQ people is not new.
    In several recent studies analyzing data collected by the 
Department of Justice as part of the National Crime 
Victimization Survey, my colleagues and I found that the odds 
of experiencing a violent victimization, defined as rape or 
sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated or simple assault, were 
four times higher for LGBTQ than non-LGBTQ people.
    Assessing victimization among transgender versus cisgender 
people specifically, we found that transgender people had four 
times the rate of victimization.
    We also assessed the distribution of hate crimes, a subset 
of violent victimization, and found that LGBTQ people 
experienced eight times as many hate crimes as non-LGBTQ 
people.
    LGBTQ people are socialized, like most people in society, 
to believe that being LGBTQ is wrong and to believe in 
stereotypical and stigmatizing ideas, such as that as an LGBTQ 
person they will never find happiness and a family who will 
love them.
    As children and youth, LGBTQ individual often experience 
rejection and even violence by families of origin. Many are 
bullied at school, and some sent to so-called conversion 
therapies that teach them the very stereotypes and self-hatred 
that mental health professionals say they should learn to undo.
    Evidence also shows that LGBTQ people are more likely to 
experience socioeconomic stress, including higher rates of 
poverty, housing instability, and food insecurity. Specific 
subpopulations, including transgender people, bisexuals, LGBTQ 
people of color, and older LGBTQ people, are especially 
vulnerable.
    Transgender people have seen fewer positive social and 
legal changes in the past few decades than did sexual minority 
people and an increase in hostile public rhetoric in recent 
years.
    Gender nonaffirmation is a particular stressor that affects 
the health outcomes of transgender individuals. Gender 
nonaffirmation refers to the denial of recognition of a 
transgender person's gender and, more globally, their dignity 
and humanity.
    Gender-affirming treatment is one form of gender 
affirmation. Research has shown that transgender individuals 
who receive hormone therapy or surgical care that they needed 
had lower prevalence of one-year suicide attempt as compared 
with those who had not received the care they needed.
    In summary, research shows that stigma, violence, and 
discrimination remain pervasive stressors for LGBTQ people. 
While same-sex marriages have become more accepted in American 
society, LGBTQ people still lack many nondiscrimination 
protections that would have been afforded them under the 
Equality Act. A lot more needs to be done to afford LGBTQ 
people equality and dignity and improve their health and well-
being.
    Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you so much.
    Mr. Lehman, you're now recognized for your testimony.
    Mr. Lehman.

 STATEMENT OF CHARLES FAIN LEHMAN, FELLOW, MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 
      FOR POLICY RESEARCHCONTRIBUTING EDITOR, CITY JOURNAL

    Mr. Lehman. Thank you to the committee for the opportunity 
to address you today.
    Before I begin, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the 
members of the prior panel and their bravery in speaking out 
about the horrific violence perpetrated against them. Victims 
of hate crime deserve to be heard, and I applaud the committee 
for giving them this platform.
    I am here today in my capacity as an analyst of crime, 
particularly hate crimes. Bias-motivating offending is a 
serious and pressing issue in the United States. Some 7,300 
hate crimes were reported to the FBI in 2021, including nearly 
1,400 offenses targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender 
individuals on the basis of their identity.
    Due to community underreporting, the transition to the 
National Incident-Based Reporting System, varying definitions 
of hate crime by state, and well-established problems with the 
FBI's hate crime data in general, these figures are almost 
certainly a dramatic undercount.
    Given this opportunity to address lawmakers, my priority is 
to advise you on how best to reduce the frequency of such 
offenses. In my limited time, therefore, I want to argue that 
the best way to combat hate crime is to engage it like other 
kinds of crime. Hate-based offenders are not specialists, and 
the traditional criminal justice system is an effective way to 
control hate crime.
    Many people, sadly, bear some animus toward others on the 
basis of their identity, including toward LGBTQ people. But the 
number of people who bear animus is almost certainly much 
larger than the number of people who will commit a hate crime.
    This is, I submit, because bias-motivated offending also 
requires the antisocial tendencies and lack of self-control 
which characterizes criminal offending generally. To commit a 
hate crime, it is not enough to hate. One must also feel 
entitled to act out that hate on another individual.
    As a consequence, it is little surprise that hate crime 
offenders are not, as I say, specialists. They tend to offend 
in nonbias-motivated ways, too.
    Arrest data recently released by the New York Division of 
Criminal Justice Services captures this phenomenon. While hate 
crime offenders vary demographically from other offenders, they 
have similar or more serious criminal histories across a 
variety of measures, from frequency of prior conviction to risk 
of rearrest following arraignment.
    The tragedy which motivated today's hearing is a cardinal 
example. As has been widely reported, the Club Q shooter had 
previously been arrested for making violent threats against 
their own mother, an arrest that followed a, quote, ``lengthy 
standoff.''
    That case was dismissed because the family declined to 
cooperate. But if prosecutors succeeded in eliciting that 
cooperation, five people might be alive today.
    El Paso law enforcement also failed to subject the shooter 
to Colorado's red flag law, a sign that they did not see the 
risk the shooter posed to the community.
    Saying hate offenders are like other offenders does not 
mean that hate crimes are not different from other crimes. 
Bias-motivated offending is uniquely toxic to the mutual 
tolerance which makes a free and democratic society possible. 
Americans have the freedom to disagree about issues which touch 
on matters of identity. Such disagreement is possible in no 
small part because we refuse to tolerate the acting out of 
animus in violence. Hate crime enhancements are a proportional 
response to the egregiousness of such offenses.
    What the preceding does mean, though, is that the criminal 
justice system is the correct venue for reducing the frequency 
of bias-motivated offenses. This is particularly true as 
compared to approaches which aim to control hate crime by 
educating against or otherwise reducing bias.
    To be sure, reducing bias is a laudable goal even if it 
remains an open question how to do so effectively. But at the 
population level, most people who hate will never convert their 
hate into a crime; meaning, the education produces little 
prevention per hour or dollar expended.
    Rather, if the members of this committee want to more 
effectively combat hate crime, they should do so by supporting 
the criminal justice system. Increase funding for police hiring 
to remediate the decline in police employment per capita since 
the Great Recession. Better fund police investigations integral 
to clearing hate crime cases. Support state and local 
prosecutors in forming specialized hate crime bureaus, 
including by coordinating information sharing in the 
challenging area of hate crime prosecution. Increase Federal 
hate crime penalties and encourage the Department of Justice to 
pursue hate crime charges in states where local laws are 
insufficient, such as in New York state where the Buffalo 
grocery shooter cannot be executed for his heinous offense, a 
situation which also obtains in Colorado.
    Hate crime against LGBTQ people and otherwise is a serious 
issue and we must take it seriously. Doing that means treating 
hate criminals like the criminals they are and bringing the 
full power of the justice system to bear on them.
    Thank you for your time, and I welcome the committee's 
questions.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you very much.
    And thank you, Ms. Pocock. You are now recognized for your 
testimony.

STATEMENT OF JESSIE POCOCK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & EXECUTIVE 
              DIRECTOR, INSIDE OUT YOUTH SERVICES

    Ms. Pocock. Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney, Ranking Member 
Comer, and members of the committee.
    My name is Dr. Pocock, she, her. It's the honor of my life 
to be the executive director and CEO of Inside Out Youth 
Services, where, since 1990, we've built access, equity, and 
power with LGBTQIA2+ young people. I believe my job is one of 
the most joyful and, sadly, necessary work that exists.
    Inside Out is the only LGBTQ-specific center in Colorado 
Springs. I don't know how many Inside Out alumni survived that 
night at Club Q, but I know there is at least one who didn't.
    Let me remind us all, this is not OK. This is not normal. 
We all want what's best for our youth. We want them to be 
healthy and have opportunities to develop skills for meaningful 
and productive adulthood. We want them to feel loved and 
included in their schools, on the sports field, in their places 
of worship, at work, in their homes. We want them to survive.
    I'd like to share the love and inclusion we see at our 
community center daily. Teens immediately welcome new youth to 
make sure they're included. Peer advisors refer struggling 
youth to our trusted staff who support them. We see a culture 
of asking for help, spreading kindness, using our food bank and 
free therapist. We see dancing and dinners, guitar lessons, 
crochet, Disney movies, Dungeons and Dragons.
    We see trust, the single most protective factor that exists 
for youth. We see hope. Our walls are decorated with statements 
like, ``Someone is so proud of you,'' and ``I understand that I 
don't understand, but I stand for you.''
    Outside of our center, we see hate. A local school board 
member recently shared a meme that says, When you're 
transgender and you're pregnant, next to a picture of poop on 
an ultrasound screen.
    It is not OK that we expect more maturity and compassion 
from our youth than the public servants entrusted with their 
care. Daily, our staff sit with youth experiencing suicidal 
thoughts who are impacted by these types of harmful and 
inaccurate messages.
    It is not the fact these youth are LGBTQ that puts them at 
risk. It's the way our culture views them. Their mental health 
is impacted when politicians legislate away their rights, when 
they witness unmitigated hate speech on social media. This is 
not normal. This is not OK. These are kids.
    And this is why, in addition to direct service, Inside Out 
advocates alongside youth for inclusive policies. Having one 
safe space is not enough. LGBTQ youth deserve a safe nation.
    ``Scared,'' since the shooting at Club Q, that word keeps 
coming up for me. Youth are asking us to be more incognito, 
less obviously LGBTQ. They're scared they'll be the next 
target. This isn't OK.
    Let me remind us, those at Club Q were the ones who fought 
and saved lives.
    We have funded police departments here, but we need police 
to enforce laws that prevent violence. Here is the truth: 
Politicians and pundits are spreading lies about LGBTQ+ people, 
falsely and dangerously stating that LGBTQ Americans are 
threats to children. This false rhetoric fuels hate and 
division, and it works.
    Inside Out's community center is respected as a best 
practice model for youth development locally, statewide and 
nationally. We are not the predators. We are the ones saving 
the lives of those preyed on through hate and violence.
    I implore you, start legislating the real problems--
commercialized bigotry, racism, hatred, and mass murderers' 
access to guns. But, even simpler, I implore you to treat us as 
humans. LGBTQ people are humans who have families, who love 
and, tragically, who bleed.
    Before you post on social media, think about the youth who 
read your words. Words can harm, but words can spread 
compassion. Words can condemn those who speak and act out of 
hate. Even if you don't understand, we need you to stand for 
us.
    My favorite note says, ``We noticed when you were gone 
because we do.'' Notice who is gone: Ashley Paugh, Raymond 
Green Vance, Daniel Aston, Derek Rump, Kelly Loving. Notice 
whether your public service is in honor of their lives, or 
whether it is in service to the hate that contributed to their 
deaths. Notice who the real predators are and hold them 
accountable. Notice who is gone.
    These young people deserve the very best of us. Stand for 
them, even when you don't understand. And, if you don't, come 
to our center in Colorado Springs. We've got a community of 
brilliant young people who will invite you in and help you 
learn.
    Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you very much.
    And now, Mr. Wolf, you are now recognized. Mr. Wolf?

STATEMENT OF BRANDON WOLF, SURVIVOR OF PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING

    Mr. Wolf. Thank you so much, Chair Maloney, and the 
committee for having me today.
    You know, being LGBTQ in America in 2022 means looking over 
your shoulder before you hold hands with someone you love. It 
means watching your very humanity be litigated day in and day 
out on every cable news network and across every social media 
platform. It means wondering if today is the day that hate 
comes armed with a clenched fist, or worse, an AR-15. It means 
wondering if, today, your little slice of normal, the thing you 
told yourself you didn't deserve, comes to an end.
    My day came on June 12, 2016. Pulse Nightclub was one of 
the first places I ever went that I didn't look over my 
shoulder, where I didn't stiffen my wrist or deepen my voice to 
avoid detection. And, that night, everything about Pulse 
Nightclub was normal. I went to the same bartender I always 
went to, ordered the same drinks I always ordered.
    And, as the night wound to a close, I stepped into the same 
bathroom I'd been in hundreds of times before. There was a 
poster on the wall with the painted faces of drag queens I knew 
well. There was a half-empty cup teetering on the edge of the 
sink like it might fall off. The water from the faucet was ice 
cold that night.
    There were gunshots, endless gunshots, the hair standing up 
on the back of my neck, the stench of blood and smoke burning 
the inside of my nose, the nervous huddle against a wall, a 
girl trying desperately, so hard not to scream. And I could 
feel her trembling on the tiles underneath us. There was a 
sprint for the exit, all atop this bang, bang, bang from an 
assault weapon.
    A man filled with hate and armed with a Sig Sauer MCX 
charged into Pulse in my city of Orlando, an LGBTQ safe space, 
and murdered 49 of those we loved. My best friends, Drew and 
Juan, took 19 of the over 110 rounds that man pumped into the 
club.
    I'll never forget the thousands of desperate calls I placed 
to Drew, or his family's heartbroken screams when I had to tell 
them that their child would not be coming home.
    And I can never unsee both of their lifeless bodies in 
cold, hard caskets.
    For years, cynical politicians and greedy grifters have 
joined forces with right-wing extremists to poor gasoline on 
anti-LGBTQ hysteria and terrorize our community. My own 
Governor, Ron DeSantis, has trafficked in that bigotry to feed 
his insatiable political ambition and propel himself toward the 
White House.
    We have been smeared and defamed. Hundreds of bills have 
been filed in order to erase us. Powerful figures have insisted 
that the greatest threats this country face are a teacher with 
they-them pronouns or someone in a wig reading Red Fish Blue 
Fish. And all along, we warned that these shortsighted 
political maneuvers would come with a human cost, but they've 
continued anyway.
    Even as queer kids told us that they were scared, that life 
was getting less safe for them; even as hate violence has 
escalated; as children's hospitals have faced mounting bomb 
threats; as armed protesters started showing up at pride 
festivals and brunches; as a donut shop in Oklahoma was fire-
bombed for daring to host a drag show; even as five innocent 
people in Colorado Springs went into a space that was supposed 
to be safe for them and came out in body bags, the attacks have 
continued.
    We can be better than that. We have to be better than that. 
Right-wing extremism relies on this manufactured belief that 
its poison is inevitable, that resistance is hopeless. But I 
contend that taking a stand is necessary, that it is our duty.
    We need to say without apology that people who endanger 
entire marginalized communities for social media content and 
fundraising fodder have no place in our politics. We need to 
hold accountable those who traffic in venomous bigotry to score 
cheap political points. We need to address how our obsession 
with easy access to guns takes dangerous hatred and makes it 
fatal. And we need to say unequivocally, right here, right now, 
that LGBTQ lives matter, that trans lives matter, and that, in 
this country, that is not up for debate.
    Words have consequences. Unbridled hate comes at a cost. 
Our stolen loved ones are not a talking point. They're missing 
faces at birthday parties, empty seats at dinner tables. They 
paid the price for militarized hate in this country.
    It is high time that Congress gets serious about the cost 
of anti-LGBTQ hatred and commit to honoring those in its 
crosshairs with real actions.
    The simple truth is this: We just want to live. Is that so 
much to ask?
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. The gentleman's time has 
expired.
    I thank all the panelists.
    I now recognize myself for five minutes for questions.
    The violence that took place at Club Q follows years of 
long efforts by some state lawmakers to erase LGBTQ+ people 
from school curriculum, limit their access to healthcare, and 
undermine their ability to fully participate in society.
    Now, state lawmakers are not alone. There have been many 
actions here in Congress pushing the same kind of draconian 
extremist policies. For example, more than 30 House Republicans 
introduced their own version of Florida's ``Don't Say Gay or 
Trans,'' end quote, law, which would restrict Federal funding 
for schools that include LGBTQI+ people in their curriculum.
    I'd like to ask Ms. Robinson: How would a Federal policy 
suppressing, even mentioning of LGBTQI+ people in classrooms 
further undermine the ability of LGBTQI Americans to live 
authentically and safely? Ms. Robinson?
    Ms. Robinson. Thank you for the question. And it's so 
critically important. What we teach our kids matters. We're 
teaching curriculum that not only shows them who our history is 
and what we can be in the future, but also what we value, who 
matters, who deserves dignity and respect. If we erase LGBTQ+ 
people from the curriculum, it erases the value in our lives.
    As Brandon said, this is our opportunity to be better, and 
we can do that. And it starts with how we educate our children.
    And I also want to be clear that, when we allow these 
pieces of legislation to move forward that erase our 
communities, that dehumanize us, what it does is create a 
dangerous environment that does support and feed these seeds of 
hatred that exist in our world. It's not only dangerous; it's 
violent to our people.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
    Ms. Pocock, what would a Federal Don't Say Gay or Trans law 
mean for the LGBTQ1 youth navigating their identities and 
communities across the country from your experience?
    Ms. Pocock. Yes. You know, we worked really hard on a 
similar Don't Say Gay bill in--that was being proposed in our--
in our state. And, you know, the truth is that we all need 
mentors and examples that we can grow into and see ourselves 
in. And, when our--when we as a nation are hiding our faces or 
our experiences or our contributions to this nation, it really 
impacts young people and their ability to see others like them, 
and their ability to learn how we've contributed to this 
nation.
    But, more than that, it's erasure, and it hurts. And so, 
our young people tell us that what they see and hear and feel 
when school board members or politicians are advocating to 
erase them is that they feel like they don't belong. They feel 
like their public schools are not for them.
    And so, it is so critically important that we are always 
cheering these young people on. And one real simple way to do 
that is to give them access to folks like me and those of us on 
the panel who are LGBTQ and contributing, incredible human 
beings in this world, because they can be, too. They just need 
us to support them and show them how.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
    Following the enactment of Florida's Don't Say Gay or Trans 
law, anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric on social media surged by more than 
400 percent, astonishingly.
    Dr. Meyer, what is the relationship between this surge in 
anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric and the kind of violence that took place 
at Club Q last month? Turn on your----
    Mr. Meyer. I think, as was mentioned already in the panel, 
this kind of incitement encourages people to enact what they 
think is righteous because of religious convictions and other 
types of ideologies that are portrayed in the--on social media, 
wrongly.
    And clearly, this is creating an environment where such 
violence is seen as not only acceptable, but, as I said, 
righteous and desirable, and causing LGBT people a lot of harm 
not only in the actual--those of them who actually experience 
violence, but also everybody in the community who witnesses it.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Well, my time has expired, but, as 
Democrats--OK. I will come back at the end with more questions.
    Well, as Democrats, we have pushed for policies to protect 
and advance the health, safety, and rights of LGBTQ people.
    My time is up, and I will ask more questions on the second 
round, but now to Ms. Foxx.
    Ms. Foxx. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
    Mr. Lehman, is crime increasing in America?
    Mr. Lehman. It's hard to give a yes-or-no answer. I would 
say certain categories of crime, homicide, car theft, 
shootings, pretty uniformly over the past three years. Other 
categories of crime, plausibly over the past year is a question 
of how that compares to baseline. And, in certain cities, 
dramatically across the board.
    So, broadly yes.
    Ms. Foxx. Yes. Are there particular parts of America that 
are seeing larger increases in crime?
    Mr. Lehman. I think, in general, crime is more common in 
large cities. I would debate the reason why. Some of it is 
concentration of population, but yes.
    Ms. Foxx. OK. Do you have an idea of why crime is 
increasing faster in these areas?
    Mr. Lehman. I think there are a couple of factors. There 
are, perhaps, just an easy answer many people are looking for. 
I don't think they're easy answers. Certainly, policy is not 
helping. Some of the--some of the--novelties jurisdictions have 
reduced police capacity or have increased restrictions on 
policing. That doesn't help the problem.
    I do believe there is a longer-term issue with the capacity 
of our criminal justice system since the early days of 2020 
across the board.
    Certainly, in those areas, though, policies are not 
helping.
    Ms. Foxx. So, for years, committee Democrats have called 
for the defunding of the police. Has that made for good policy, 
and has that reduced crime?
    Mr. Lehman. I'll note that many jurisdictions have tried to 
defund the police and weren't successful because it is 
overwhelmingly unpopular. What I can say in the aggregate, 
certainly jurisdictions that move forward with reducing police 
funding are experiencing large increases in crime.
    More generally, one of the few criminological findings that 
we have that's pretty overwhelming in its certainty is that 
more cops reduce crime. So, all else equal, if you spend less 
on cops, you would expect crime to go up.
    Mrs. Foxx. So, when--you just mentioned, when policing 
budgets are cut, there seems to be an increase in crime. You 
said more cops, less crime.
    So, with that, when police budgets are cut, resulting in 
fewer officers patrolling the communities, then I think we 
could say the areas become less safe. Is that correct?
    Mr. Lehman. All else equal, certainly.
    Ms. Foxx. OK. So, in your writings, you've mentioned that 
America's streets are likely underpoliced. Can you explain a 
little more what you mean by that?
    Mr. Lehman. Certainly, that draws in a couple of different 
references. One is good estimates of America's police--a 
police-to-population, rather, ratio relative to other developed 
nations, we underperform the rest of the OECD on this measure, 
or most of the rest of the OECD on this measure.
    Another is that, for the amount of crime cost, the costs 
associated with level of crime that police would produce, the 
socially optimal--below the socially optimal level of spending 
on police, or a third one is that, across a variety of 
indicators, we have a lower police-per-capita ratio than we 
did--about 2008 was the peak, before the Great Recession, which 
suggests to me, given the rise in crime, that a stalling on the 
crime decline at that point, we could be buying more safety 
than we currently are.
    Ms. Foxx. OK. I assume there is a connection between 
something you've written: Fewer cops also mean more police 
conduct.
    Could you explain that phenomenon?
    Mr. Lehman. Do you mean misconduct?
    Ms. Foxx. Not--the--it says ``conduct.'' It may be 
misconduct.
    Mr. Lehman. I--I would assume misconduct. Yes. All else 
equal, I would expect that more--fewer cops mean more burden on 
the remaining cops. You would--there is a fixed quantity of 
crime. The fact of fewer cops means more crimes. The quantity 
of crime goes up, quantity of man-hours. There is a strong 
empirical relationship between stress, burden, overwork, and 
the risk that police officer will engage in use of force, that 
a police officer will be complained about or reported. Fewer 
cops put more strain.
    Ms. Foxx. OK. And how could Congress help law enforcement 
personnel better fight crime, if--if there is a way other than 
putting more money in?
    Mr. Lehman. Look, the first way is putting more money in, 
I--I regret to tell the Representative, which is--you know, 
policing America is highly local. Congress has basically three 
things it can do. The Federal Government has three things it 
could do.
    Thing one is spend money. Thing two is coordinate 
information sharing, encourage the sharing of expertise and 
best practices. Thing three is fix data and data sharing. As I 
talked about briefly, the FBI's hate crime reporting is a mess. 
This is substantive of the fact that all crime reporting in 
Americas is a massive mess. I'm happy to talk about this later. 
But it's a huge issue for getting things done in crime 
preventions generally and hate crime prevention specifically.
    Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Madam Chair. I yield back.
    Mr. Lynch. [Presiding.] The chair now recognizes the 
gentlewoman from Ohio, Ms. Brown, for five minutes.
    Ms. Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    I'd first like to start off by thanking the chairwoman for 
holding this hearing and for her tireless commitment to 
advancing civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community and her long, 
remarkable career. And just like to go on the record and say 
that she will be missed.
    On the topic that brings us here today, I was heartbroken 
and stunned by the tragedy in Colorado Springs at Club Q. 
Political violence and hatred targeted at the LGBTQ+ community 
is completely unacceptable, and I want to thank the brave 
survivors for testifying today and for sharing their story.
    This important hearing ensures that the LGBTQ+ voices are 
being heard, and that we are properly addressing the surge of 
anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans hate.
    So, I'd like to start off with Ms. Hunt.
    Why do you think anti-LGBTQ hate has seen such a resurgence 
in the political climate in recent months? Is it connected to 
the midterms election, is this a broader trend, or both?
    Ms. Hunt. Thank you for that question.
    It is, unfortunately, a trend that we've seen over the past 
six years of trans people increasingly being seen as an 
acceptable target. It began in 2016 with the introduction of 
HB2, the first of the major bathroom bills in North Carolina. 
That was the first major piece of state legislation directly 
targeting trans people and trans people's lives.
    And that has kicked off a trend that has seen just an 
increased selection of trans people in particular as being an 
acceptable target for political attacks, for trying to score 
points and move the needle a little bit without any negative 
consequence, because we're just seen as an acceptable target to 
so many people. And the dehumanizing rhetoric that comes up, 
and that fuels the wave of violence that we're seeing is 
inflamed by this treatment of us as an other, an acceptable 
target. And that is a really disturbing and unsettling trend to 
see as part of our political landscape.
    Ms. Brown. Well, I appreciate your candor, and hope that we 
can all recognize how the anti-LGBTQ hate is being weaponized, 
unfortunately, by the extreme right for purposes none other 
than to stoke fear and energize a backlash.
    With that, Dr. Meyer, we have seen the extreme right use 
its most powerful tool, right-wing media, in an effort to 
spread the message of hate. How has right-wing media 
contributed to the rise of anti-LGBTQ hate, specifically 
against trans people and their ability to live their authentic 
lives as themselves?
    Mr. Meyer. Well, to tell you the truth, I do not understand 
why, as Ms. Hunt just mentioned, transgender people have become 
such a target. We know that in most jurisdictions, there is 
more minority of the people. So, a lot of the hate that comes 
this way, I have to assume is an excuse, as was mentioned here 
already, and maybe to serve some political purposes that are--
seem to be--that seems to be an expedient way to achieve by 
attacking transgender people.
    The--the--the way that rhetoric has developed over the past 
few years has been really concerning. And some of the things 
that I find really disturbing is the way this rhetoric has 
talked about they want to protect children from being 
sexualized while that very notion, that talking about having 
gay parents or talking about transgender people is sexualizing, 
is completely wrong, has nothing to do with sex any more than 
if you talk about a person having a mother and a father.
    So, the purpose of this rhetoric is completely political, I 
think.
    Ms. Brown. Thank you for that, Dr. Meyer.
    Are you aware of the extreme right targeting these anti-
LGBTQ messages at minority communities, and the African-
American community in particular?
    Mr. Meyer. Well, of course, as I mentioned, homophobia and 
transphobia are embedded in American culture and history, as is 
racism, and the two combined create this environment where 
attacking LGBT people of color and especially transgender women 
of color are a huge target of hate.
    Ms. Brown. Thank you.
    And, with that, I see my time has expired.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Lynch. The gentlelady yields back.
    The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. 
Hice, for five minutes.
    Mr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    And if I could take just 30 seconds, a point of personal 
privilege, before I get started as this is my last full 
committee hearing of my congressional career. And I just want 
to say thank you to each of my colleagues. We've had a lot of 
spirited debates over the years, and it's been an honor to be a 
part of this.
    I wish Chairwoman Maloney was still here. I want to wish 
her the best as she goes on from here, and also soon-to-be 
Chairman Comer, wishing him the best as well as he takes the 
reins of this committee in the next Congress.
    But I just say God bless each of you, and it's been an 
honor to be here and to serve with you. And I thank you for 
giving me a little time to say that.
    We are hearing a lot about right-wing extremism and 
violence. Obviously, violence of any type is a poison, as is 
left-wing violence, and that which is the fuel that is thrown 
on the fire by left-wing media. This is not a one-sided 
argument. It goes on both sides, and it needs to be dealt with 
on both sides.
    What happened at Club Q is a tragedy that should never, 
ever, ever happen in the United States, and I do want to 
commend the brave actions of U.S. Army veteran Richard Fierro 
for his quick actions that saved the lives of who knows how 
many other additional individuals who were in harm's way.
    But that said, I think it's a shame that, once again, here 
we are in this committee--as the majority is heading out the 
door, this committee's responsibility to deal with Federal 
Government oversight continues to be ignored. We are dealing 
with things that this committee has not dealt with in this 
country, be it inflation or energy or border or the Afghanistan 
withdrawal, and a host of other things that this committee 
continues to ignore. And I think that's a shame.
    And today's hearing is but an attempt to blame Republicans 
for the horrendous acts of violence. And at the same time, many 
of my colleagues ignore many of the words and deeds from 
members of their own party that have fueled hate and violence, 
statements on anti-Semitism. We have major Democratic leaders 
who, quote, ``tell them, members of the Trump administration, 
that they're not welcome anymore anywhere.'' These types of 
comments should not be allowed either.
    Look, the rise of hate crimes deeply concerns me. It 
concerns all of us. There is no question about this. It's a 
tragedy that we need to deal with. The reality is we're all 
human beings. We're all created equal in the sight of God, and 
we need to honor that.
    I have here an article, and some of you may have heard this 
type of comment, and it's just shocking to hear this type of 
thing. But the comments of saying, You're all trash. I hate 
you, and I wish you harm.
    Some of you probably have heard that, those type of 
comments. But this comment was not made to the LGBTQ community. 
This came out last week, comments directed to a group of 
Christians. It's unacceptable.
    Mr. Chairman, I'd like to submit this article for the 
record, if I could, please, sir.
    Mr. Lynch. Without objection.
    Mr. Hice. Thank you.
    And I--just down the street last week, some individuals 
were not allowed to enter a restaurant because of who they 
were. Again, this was not the LGB community. Once again, this 
was a group of Christians--refused to be served in a restaurant 
because they were a group of Christians. It's unacceptable.
    Again, I'd like to have the article submitted to the 
record, please, sir.
    Mr. Lynch. Without objection, so ordered.
    Mr. Hice. Thank you.
    You want to talk about hate between May and October of this 
year. Over 100--just within those few short months, over 100 
pro-life organizations and churches were vandalized, attacked, 
smashed, 38 of them churches across the country--fire-bombed, 
smashed, vandalized, pro-abortion graffiti and threatening 
messages left.
    This type of stuff has got to stop on both sides.
    Again, I'd like to submit this to the record, if I could, 
Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Lynch. Without objection, so ordered.
    Mr. Hice. We have a Department of Justice who has come out 
admitting that they are--have raised investigations against 
pro-life individuals and pro-life organizations simply because 
they don't like it.
    Again, I'd like to have it submitted to the record.
    Mr. Lynch. Without objection.
    Mr. Hice. You know, and--and, by the way, dozens of those 
churches that were vandalized and fire-bombed and so forth were 
by the organization, Jane's Revenge, who admitted that they did 
so. To this day, not a single arrest.
    So, we've got to deal with these type of issues across the 
board. And, you know, I urge my Democratic colleagues to join 
us not only with what's happening here, but the hate that's 
coming against churches, against pro-life organizations, the 
Supreme Court Justices, for crying out loud, supporters of 
President Trump. All of this needs to be dealt with. It is 
systematic and highlights a moral and spiritual problem in this 
country, and we need to admit that this is not a one-sided 
issue. It's on both sides of the aisle.
    And, with that, I thank you for indulging me.
    And, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Lynch. The gentleman yields back.
    The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. 
Tlaib, for five minutes.
    Ms. Tlaib. Thank you so much, Chairman.
    And I do want to recognize Chairwoman Maloney. She could 
have had a hearing on anything, and being that her last hearing 
as the chair, and she made this a priority, and I want to 
commend her on that. I appreciate it so much.
    I want to start with many--start with the truth, because I 
think--I don't know if it was Mr. Haynes or Mr. Slaugh that 
said this, but it's about starting to live our truths. So, I 
want to start with my truth as a Congress Member here.
    One of the things I've realized many of my colleagues 
ignore is that nearly 20 percent of all hate crimes are now 
motivated by LGBTQ+ bigotry in our country. You know, we 
continue to see report after report. The one report that, you 
know, even hearing in my own community is of teachers being 
allies, being targeted, even--not only at school board 
meetings, but just publicly through social media. Displays of 
different kinds of solidarity targeted, just because they want 
to make sure that every single child that they're educating is 
seen and heard and that they feel safe.
    Students and residents who continue to speak up in my 
community about, you know, the attempt to so-called make it 
about books and all of those things that's happening right in 
our backyard in my district, it is incredibly important to 
realize what has happened, the dehumanization that happens 
after those hearings.
    Please know that many of my LGBTQ+ neighbors who testified 
literally are targeted on social media, hate expressed through 
videos, through Twitter, and so much other outlets. And it's so 
hard, because I watched as, one by one, they testified and how 
they were literally just shouted at, tried to be silenced.
    So, when I hear the story of what happened at Pulse, it's 
horrific, just God awful to watch a friend, a colleague die 
solely based because of who they are.
    And, you know, Mr. Wolf, I want to thank you so much, 
because it takes so much bravery to come here, because I know 
what's going to happen when you leave. And that's the part that 
doesn't get discussed.
    When you leave, you're going to get literally thrown, of 
course, some love and support from many folks that see your 
bravery as inspiring and are grateful for you. But I know what 
also comes your way when you come and speak the truth here.
    One of the things that I think Mr. Haynes and Mr. Slaugh 
and Mr. Anderson--I think one of them said--I think it was Mr. 
Anderson--living your truth. But I think Mr. Haynes or Slaugh 
said, ``What are we doing to make LGBTQ community unsafe in 
this Chamber?'' And it's something that I wish we did more of 
here.
    But, Mr. Wolf, your experience--awful, awful, traumatic 
experience at Pulse, you know, what does it really truly mean 
for the LGBT+ community in our country and the allies, because 
that--that is something that I want to talk about even more, 
because it's not only our LGBTQ+ neighbors, but it's--it's the 
folks that are standing, deciding silence is not an option, to 
wrap our arms around our LGBTQ+ community, that are now 
continuing to be targeted?
    Mr. Wolf. Thank you so much, and thanks for recognizing how 
hard it is to do this day in and day out.
    A moment like Pulse changes a community forever, and it 
doesn't just change the people who were there. It doesn't just 
change the people who had to bury their children years too 
soon. It doesn't just change the community that was targeted. 
It changes the entire community. Central Florida is not the 
same as it was on June 11, 2016. Our entire city of Orlando has 
changed, in part, because we were forced to make a choice.
    You see, terrorism is designed to terrorize people. That's 
the point. It's supposed to scare us back into the closet, to 
challenge us to stop living authentically. And so, our city, 
our region, faced a choice in the hours after the shooting. And 
that choice was whether or not we were going to succumb to 
terrorism and hate, whether we were going to allow one man 
armed with an assault weapon and hundreds of rounds of 
ammunition to shatter us, or if we were going to stand more 
closely together.
    I was most inspired in the wake of Pulse by watching people 
from both sides of the political aisle come together to say 
that we can be better, that we can do more for LGBTQ people in 
our--in our community. I was inspired by faith leaders standing 
alongside LGBTQ elected officials and saying, ``We may not 
always agree, but we can agree on the fact that people are 
deserving of dignity and respect.''
    Communities face a choice in that moment. I'm proud of my 
community for deciding that we would be a different, more 
inclusive, safer, better community moving forward. And I also 
think that offers a blueprint for how this country moves 
forward in the wake of such violence and hate.
    Ms. Tlaib. I just want all my LGBTQ+ neighbors in my 
district and throughout the country just to know, because of 
you, I believe our communities are better and more beautiful.
    Thank you again for your courageous testimony, for many of 
you, and just know that you will always have an ally in the 
U.S. Congress.
    Mr. Lynch. The gentlelady yields back.
    The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. 
Grothman, for five minutes.
    Mr. Grothman. Well, I'd like to--I wish she was here. I 
want to say an--you know, say wonderful things about her, and 
she ducked out.
    I'm glad we're having a hearing here dealing with crime. My 
district is adjacent to the city of Milwaukee, which in the 
last three years, has more than doubled the number of murders. 
I don't know what the definition of ``hate'' means, but I want 
to say normally, if you're killing somebody, you probably hate 
them. I suppose there are just some people who shoot into a 
crowd or whatever.
    And I've always felt there were three things causing 
Milwaukee, which used to be the safest of the 25 biggest cities 
in this country, become such a dangerous city. And I think, 
one, if we look at the type of people committing the crimes, 
the breakdown of the family. And of course, we have people here 
who have stood with Black Lives Matter who initially was 
opposed to that.
    Second, we have the police hatred. I think that's even more 
than the police defunding, but this police hatred, where police 
have to be so careful about what they do. And, as the result, 
they become passive policemen. I mean, that's one of the 
reasons why, not just in Milwaukee, but around the world--
around the country, we've seen an increase in the number of 
murders.
    I guess a distant third would--may be open borders. I 
noticed last month by itself, we had--we broke the previous 
record for the number of what they call got-aways at the 
southern border, going from 59,000 to 73,000. And obviously we 
have people who won't even turn themselves in to the Border 
Patrol and go through asking for asylum. You know, you're 
collecting people who are potentially dangerous.
    And as the result, we've gone--and I assume some of the--
this year, I think we've had 212 murders. I assume some were 
gay. I don't know.
    But I'm going to ask Mr. Lehman: Am I right in each one of 
those three reasons for the huge increase in murders in this 
country, and is there anything you think we can do to deal with 
these three problems?
    Mr. Lehman. Yes. You know, I think--I think, locally, to 
the two-year increase in homicide, the second thing that you 
mentioned, the increase in passivity among police officers--you 
can call it what you want. You can call it criticism of police. 
Can you call it a blue strike.
    The reality is, across a variety of measures, police are 
less active than they used to be. Lawmakers have been very 
forceful in restricting police activity--bans on chokeholds, 
bans on police chases. I won't get into the merits of those 
policies. You know, I think the--the breakdown of the family is 
a long-standing problem.
    Mr. Grothman. Could you elaborate on that? I mean, I never 
think we talk about it enough here. What are you talking about?
    Mr. Lehman. On the breakdown of the family is a long-
standing problem?
    Mr. Grothman. Yes.
    Mr. Lehman. Yes. Forty percent of American children born 
to--40 percent of American children today live in a--were born 
out of wedlock. Many children will be--go through a divorce--
not really asking how many. Of course, their parents' lifetime, 
marriage grows rarer and rarer. Fewer children have access to 
the stability of a loving, two-parent household, regardless of 
the sex of the parents.
    The--that almost certainly contributes to----
    Mr. Grothman. Can you give us some statistics on that?
    Mr. Lehman. On which fact? On which number?
    Mr. Grothman. I mean, there are wonderful parents, and 
there are wonderful people, including in this room, who have 
come all sorts--out of all sorts of backgrounds. But when I 
look at Milwaukee of, say, 1970 and Milwaukee of 2022, the 
change in the family situation, when I look at the----
    Mr. Lehman. I--I don't know the risk ratios, the exact 
numbers off the top of my head. I can tell you that risks for 
criminality are higher. Risks for all sorts of antisocial 
outcomes are higher. Risks for individual--for harms to the 
individual are higher, risks for suicidality, risks for 
depression, all associated with particularly family breakdown. 
I think it's accurate.
    And again, I think it's a long-standing problem. Clearly--
clearly, we've had a crime decline--a crime decline in spite of 
the decline of the family, but it is a contributor.
    Mr. Grothman. Yes, but, when I look at this guy in Colorado 
Springs, I mean, he sure had a very difficult background, and 
obviously a horrible person, but if we're looking at the root 
causes of stuff.
    How would you--given we've had this huge skyrocketing 
increase, how would you deal with that? Can you give us some 
ideas how society can get that 210 murders in Milwaukee back 
down to 40 or 50, which is still way too high?
    Mr. Lehman. Sure. Look, we--we know what the tools--we know 
the tools that work. It's not that hard. Tool one needs 
incapacitation. The kinds of offenses that increased in 2020 
concentrated among serious repeat violent offenders, people who 
commit homicides, people who engage in cycles or attributive 
violence, put them in prison. Incapacitation is really 
efficient.
    Pointing to the second--and I've alluded to this several 
times--we have far fewer police officers per capita than we did 
before the Great Recession. We have something like 50-to 80,000 
more police officers to get back up to capacity. I think that 
should be a top priority at all levels of government.
    Mr. Grothman. It always bothers me when--I mean, you're 
here. You're our guest. I love it. It always bothers me when 
you--when we talk about crime and people in your position just 
take the easy path to more cops. We should talk about more of 
some of the root causes, too, in the future, but thanks.
    Mr. Lynch. The gentleman yields back.
    The chair now recognizes himself for five minutes for 
questions.
    I have the honor of representing the city of Boston along 
with Congresswoman Pressley. And, last month, Boston Children 
Hospital--Children's Hospital, the most renowned pediatric 
hospital in the country, received its fifth bomb threat in the 
last four months.
    Since August of this year, the hospital has been subjected 
to an onslaught of online hate and harassment, including 
vitriolic emails and death threats against clinicians and other 
staff at Boston Children's Hospital. And many of these attacks 
have been driven by anti-LGBTQ+ social media accounts that have 
spewed hate and misinformation surrounding transgender care.
    And as detailed by HRC, the Human Rights Campaign, in its 
report online, harassment last month--harassment report 
released last month, the coordinated campaign against Boston 
Children's Hospital is not isolated.
    Following its review of multiple social media platforms, 
HRC identified 24 different hospitals and providers across 21 
states that have recently been subjected to direct online 
attacks following misleading, inflammatory, and harassing posts 
by anti-LGBTQ+ accounts.
    Ms. Robinson, can you please expand on the nature of these 
coordinated hate campaigns against hospitals and other medical 
providers and their relationship to actual threats--physical 
threats against those individuals and institutions?
    Ms. Robinson. This is a devastating reality that we're 
living in right now, where the people that we go to to offer 
support to our kids are being uniquely and targetly attacked. 
And I'm talking specifically about teachers in most cases, and 
also providers as we're talking about here.
    And yes, our reports show that 24 different hospitals and 
providers across 22 states were directly attacked online 
following harassing, inflammatory, and misleading posts. I 
think the thing to really note here is that there is a direct 
connection. Hateful speech, extremist rhetoric is connected to 
real-life violence. We're seeing it play out time and time 
again, and we have to interrupt the cycle.
    Mr. Lynch. And again, at Boston's Children's Hospital, 
these online attacks and real-world threats have continued to 
take a devastating toll on hospital staff, not to mention the 
impact it has on LGBTQ individuals and their families, their 
moms and dads.
    You know, there has already been extreme stress and 
pandemic-related pressures on these hospital staff. They've 
also--this trend has also affected patient care and safety.
    Ms. Robinson, am I correct in stating that many hospitals 
and providers have been forced to remove online resources and 
websites in the wake of these attacks?
    Ms. Robinson. Yes, you are correct.
    Mr. Lynch. HRC includes numerous examples in their report 
of the hateful social media posts that were involved in these 
harassment campaigns. As underscored in the report, all of the 
tweets and Facebook posts cited had remained live as of the 
date of writing, so they had not been removed, quote, ``despite 
all of them being in violation of Twitter and Meta's policies 
on abusive behavior, and targeted harassment, and hateful 
conduct.''
    So, Ms. Robinson, what additional steps do you think social 
media companies can take to address this online harassment, and 
hopefully reduce the threat of, you know, real-world violence 
against LGBTQ persons, and also, these institutions that are 
trying to deliver healthcare to those individuals?
    Ms. Robinson. You know, it is urgent and imperative that 
every social media company hold themselves accountable to their 
own community guidelines of behavior. People are being allowed 
to express views that are directly dangerous to our community, 
talking about moving forward brutal attacks, criminalizing our 
people, trying to make us seem like we are less than human.
    This is a real threat. So, our first call is on social 
media companies to enact their own policies. But we also have 
to hold the bad actors accountable. In places like Florida, 
where we saw a 400 percent increase in anti-LGBTQ hate speech 
and rhetoric, it is all fueled by 10 people. Ten actors were 
doing the majority of that. We have to hold one another 
accountable.
    Mr. Lynch. Thank you.
    My time has expired.
    The chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Keller, for five minutes.
    Mr. Keller. Thank you, Chairman.
    And I would like to thank the witnesses for being here 
today. I just want to make the point that any crime against any 
individual is unacceptable and should not be tolerated.
    America's a nation of law and order. And, as I mentioned, 
any form of violence and lawlessness in this country is not 
acceptable. And those who perpetrate it must be held 
responsible under the full weight of the law.
    I'm often reminded, President Reagan, who I thought was a 
great leader, said something, and I think we need to--we need 
to make sure we understand this. We must reject the idea that, 
every time a law is broken, society's guilty rather than the 
law breaker. It is time to restore the American precept that 
each individual is accountable for his actions.
    And we need to make sure we hold people accountable when 
they break the law.
    And it's undeniable that crime in major cities across the 
country is rising. According to the Major City Chiefs--Cities 
Chiefs Association, homicides and aggravated assaults are up 50 
percent and 36 percent respectively compared to 2019.
    This is an alarming trend that demands this committee's 
full attention. So, we need to focus on that rather than trying 
to divide crime and talk about one--whoever a crime is 
committed against, we need to defend those people. We need to 
stand up for them, and we need to let them know that we love 
them, that we're not going to tolerate them being treated 
poorly.
    But we should not be blaming one another. We should be 
blaming the people that commit these crimes. And we should not 
politicize any specific acts of evil, and we need to be looking 
at this holistically as an American crime crisis.
    And actually, Mr. Lehman, I was--heard your testimony, and 
you had mentioned that some of the crimes that were committed--
that were discussed were committed by people that had committed 
crimes previously. Is that--is that--did I understand that 
correctly in your testimony?
    Mr. Lehman. Yes. And, just to--just to draw out those 
figures, which are available in my testimony, among individuals 
who commit--who were arrested for hate crime in New York state, 
2019 to 2021, 52 percent had a prior conviction; 30 percent--32 
percent had a prior felony conviction; 36 percent had an open 
case, a pending case; 20 percent were rearrested within six 
months of release.
    So--so a large--a significant proportion of hate crime 
offenders, similar to the non-hate crime offending population 
have prior criminal histories and have a tendency toward 
criminal behavior.
    Mr. Keller. OK. So, it's not just a matter--I guess my 
question would be: It's not just a matter of making sure that 
our law enforcement is sufficient and has the tools they need 
to keep our communities safe, but then I look at some of the 
district attorneys, and I'll look at Philadelphia in my home 
state of Pennsylvania. And we have a district attorney, 
Krasner, who does not prosecute some of these crimes.
    What impact does that have when you have--when you have 
police officers enforcing the law and arresting the people that 
are perpetrating crime against citizens, and then the district 
attorney does not prosecute them, or they're not--they don't 
have sufficient bail? What does that do to----
    Mr. Lehman. Well----
    Mr. Keller [continuing]. Security in America?
    Mr. Lehman [continuing]. I'll talk specifically about hate 
crime. And, you know, there is frequently an overlap between 
hate crime and petty crime. In many jurisdictions, if I spray 
paint a swastika, I can be arrested for a hate crime and 
charged with it.
    And a prosecutor who is committed to not charging 
misdemeanor or petty felony offenses might dismiss that 
offense, and I suspect that downstream of that behavior--a 
downstream of that behavior is more serious, aggravated 
offending. So that is to mean indicative of one of the failures 
of--you know, one of the risks associated with failing to 
charge petty crime.
    There is a lot of variation in what progressive prosecutors 
do. Some of the progressive prosecutors in New York City have 
worked really hard to make prosecuting hate crimes a majority 
priority, and I applaud them for that. But I think, in general, 
people who commit small crimes often go on to commit large 
crimes, and you want to stop them while they're small.
    Mr. Keller. Yes. I think, if you take care of the little 
things, the bigger things go away. And, if people know they are 
going to be held accountable for what they do, and they're 
responsible for their actions, we won't see people doing things 
that harm other individuals. And that's--I think we need to be 
united in that message, and we need to stop making excuses.
    I mean, I heard about, you know, the family and everything 
else. My parents were divorced when I was 12 years old. I went 
to live with my grandmother, OK? We never used being poor. We 
never used our family situation as an excuse, because we live 
in America. And in America, it doesn't matter who you are or 
where you live or who you love, it matters that you can attain 
great things.
    But what we need to do is go back to that quote from 
President Reagan that I mentioned, and we need to restore that 
American precept that people are accountable for their own 
actions. And we need to give law enforcement the tools they 
need, and then we need to hold people that break the law 
accountable, because I don't want to see anybody get hurt in 
America. And, if somebody is hurt, the person that did it needs 
to be held accountable, so it doesn't happen again.
    Thank you, and I yield back.
    Mr. Lynch. The gentleman yields back.
    The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Massachusetts, Ms. Pressley, for five minutes.
    OK. We'll try to pick her--pick up that later.
    The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois, Ms. 
Kelly, for five minutes.
    Ms. Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    And I, too, wanted to thank Chairwoman Maloney for all of 
her work on this committee and wish her the best in her next 
chapter. And I also wanted to thank Ranking Member Hice for all 
the work that he's done and as he moves on to his next chapter.
    You know, it's interesting being here today when, 
yesterday, we were celebrating because of the legislation that 
was passed. And now we are here today talking about a topic 
that's so very sad, and we're also talking about it on the day 
that 20-something people were killed in Newtown, you know, so--
around the issue of guns.
    And I do agree with my colleague from Wisconsin. When we 
talk about crime, we need to get to the root causes. You know, 
we can--and I'm a big gun violence prevention person, and I'm 
for the legislation, but we can talk about the legislation, but 
unless we do something around prevention and investing in all 
kinds of communities and all kind of people, and especially all 
kind of young people, we're going to find ourselves in the same 
place.
    So, I want to also thank all the witnesses.
    The LGBTQI+ people across this country have historically 
experienced health and economic inequities, largely rooted in 
wrongful discrimination against them in medical settings and 
employment. For example, men who have sex with men continue to 
face discrimination in healthcare settings because of stigma 
against HIV that has persisted for four decades. This stigma is 
damaging and humiliating.
    According to a 2021 study from the Kaiser Family 
Foundation, LGBT people are more likely to report negative 
experiences with healthcare providers, including being blamed 
for their own illnesses and negative health outcomes.
    An analysis from the Center for American Progress shows 
that almost 10 percent of the LGBTQ people report being turned 
away from healthcare facilities because of provider discomfort.
    Dr. Meyer, can you explain how discrimination against 
LGBTQI+ people in healthcare settings leads to long-term 
negative health outcomes?
    Mr. Meyer. Thank you. Yes.
    As I presented in my written testimony, there has been 
research on the effect of prejudice and discrimination on LGBT 
people. It has been done for decades, recognized by both 
administrations, Health and Human Services, by the Academy of 
Sciences. So, this is not just me representing my research.
    And what we have seen also, before I get to the effect of 
those types of attitudes, that violence, disrespect, bullying 
for youth is a very common experience for LGBT people.
    If I may, there has been an equivalency made here in this 
hearing between attacks on the LGBTQ people and, of course, 
horrible attacks on Christians or other people who are attacked 
violently. But they're not equivalent. Not to say that one is 
better or worse than the other. But, when you're attacking a 
group of people, in a sense, that is embedding and 
reverberating hatred and stigma that has been going on for 
decades and are part, as you said just now, of the American 
system, you are creating a damage that is above and beyond just 
the attack that the person experiences, and it brings back 
attacks that they had experienced throughout their whole lives.
    Being Christian is not a stigmatized position in American 
society. It is very valued, and it's a good thing. But to be 
attacked for being Christian has a different nature, again, not 
that I am supporting any attack or any discrimination.
    And what we have seen, that these types of attacks, this 
kind of discrimination, these kinds of bullying, they all have 
impact on LGBT people in--especially in mental health, 
depression, anxiety, and the very high rates of suicide 
ideation and suicide attempts that we see, both in older 
generations and in younger people who are LGBT.
    Ms. Kelly. Not to cut you off. My time is running out. And 
also, it's even worse for people of color.
    Mr. Meyer. Of course, as I mentioned in my testimony.
    Ms. Kelly. My time is running out. I just wanted to say to 
Mr. Wolf, it is so wonderful to see you again. And I just 
appreciate your advocacy so much. You came and spoke to a group 
for me in Chicago. And I have a niece that belongs to the 
community, and I'm just so glad that there's advocates out 
there. And I'm a big ally, as Rashida Tlaib said also, and will 
always be here when you need me.
    Thank you.
    Mr. Wolf. Thank you. I appreciate that.
    Chairwoman Maloney. [Presiding.] The gentlewoman from New 
Mexico, Ms. Herrell, is recognized for five minutes.
    Ms. Herrell. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for 
serving, and I wish you the best of luck. And this is, of 
course, our last meeting together, and I just thank you for 
your leadership. And I also thank you for hosting this hearing.
    And my deepest condolences, obviously, to the first panel 
that was here in regard to the recent shooting in Florida. The 
targeted attacks remind us, unfortunately, of a cruel reality, 
is that we live in a nation that now faces threats from evil 
people. And this is unfathomable. It happens all the time.
    And while I appreciate what Dr. Meyer just said, I 
disagree, because I think any attack on any group of people, 
regardless if it's a religious group--because I would point out 
that there have been over 280 murders against our law 
enforcement family. And how does that differ from, for 
instance, a religious group or an LGBTQ group? I just think any 
kind of evil attack on any group of people should be stopped in 
this country. There is no room for it.
    And, sadly, it's happening both sides of the aisle. I mean, 
I've heard, and we all have over the last hour or so that it's 
right wing, right wing. You know what? It's left wing, too. 
It's an ability for people in power to not stand up for what is 
right, for our moral values, and for what the people of this 
country expect us to do.
    And I'll cite an example, because it comes from both sides. 
After the shooting in Colorado, Speaker Pelosi, and I quote: 
``Right-wing extremists target transgender Americans' most 
fundamental rights and freedoms. Whether spouting dangerous 
rhetoric from cable news desks or openly bullying 
schoolchildren from the halls of power, MAGA Republicans are 
cruelly undermining the safety and well-being of our 
transgender community.'' End of quote.
    That's not based on science. That's based on pushing the 
American people further apart and making everything more 
divisive. Because everyone on this side of the aisle who spoke 
today has truly said they hate to see this crime against any, 
any group of people in this country. And when we offered 
condolences to those who have suffered through the tragedy, we 
were faced with searing criticism.
    The violent rhetoric translating into violent actions, it's 
not merely a concept, it is a real reality. And, sadly, you 
know what? We could fill this entire committee hearing for the 
rest of the year into 118, the new committee, we could have 
hearings against violence against judges, clubs, abortion 
clinics, hospitals, schools, grocery stores, business owners, 
malls, law enforcement, because we've allowed the media and 
social media platforms to drive the narrative instead of having 
real conversations right here in these committee rooms where we 
can come together and find solutions that protect all 
Americans.
    Every single American deserves to live in a country where 
they can live in a society that affords them every level of 
security. We cannot accept the violence as an approach to 
solving problems that we face each and every day or demonize 
each other as an excuse not to engage with those that we 
disagree with.
    And I urge my colleagues, let's stop shifting the blame and 
instead work together to build an America that truly lives up 
to its promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness 
for everybody.
    And I want to just followup on a question that came up. Ms. 
Pocock brought something up and I want to ask Mr. Lehman. She 
said we need to notice who the real perpetrators are or 
predators are, and hold them accountable.
    Are we holding these predators accountable when crimes of 
hate are committed against any group of people?
    Mr. Lehman. Abstractly, yes. Not in every case. There's a 
wide variety of things that count as hate crimes. I certainly 
think that you could devote more time, resources, energy, 
competency toward the swift and effective prosecution of hate 
crimes.
    Ms. Herrell. OK. And, again, I think this hearing is 
important. But I think at the end of the day what we have to 
do, let's everybody identify as Americans first. Then we can 
figure out the way to solve these problems. But if we don't 
come together in a transparent manner and work to protect 
everybody, including law enforcement, the men and women that 
stand in a thin blue line, and those that are willing to stand 
up for our values, then we're in more trouble than I thought.
    And with that, Mrs. Chairman, I yield back.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The lady yields back.
    The gentlelady from the District of Columbia, Ms. Norton, 
is recognized.
    Ms. Norton. Thank you, Madam Chair, for this important 
hearing.
    Let me note at the beginning that the rights of LGBTQ 
District of Columbia residents are particularly at risk with 
House Republicans in the majority. Republicans have 
consistently tried to overturn D.C. local laws protecting this 
community, the LGBTQI community, including trying to overturn 
D.C.'s marriage equality law, blocking D.C.'s domestic partner 
law, and allowing religiously affiliated schools in D.C. to 
discriminate against LGBT students.
    Statehood, of course, is the only way to ensure D.C.'s laws 
are not undemocratically overturned.
    So, I'm proud that since Democrats took the House four 
years ago, we have advanced critical legislation to protect and 
expand the rights of the LGBT community to live their own 
authentic lives. That's why, Ms. Robinson, the House passed the 
Equality Act last year to codify protections for the LGBT 
community against discrimination on the basis of sexual 
orientation and gender identity. I was original cosponsor of 
the Equality Act.
    So, my question for you, Ms. Robinson, is how would the 
Equality Act enshrine protections for this community, for 
LGBTQI+ individuals across the country?
    Ms. Robinson. Right now, LGBTQ+ people are living with a 
patchwork of protections across the country. There are 29 
states that do not have nondiscrimination against our community 
laws in place.
    And so, yes, we identify as full Americans, but America is 
not giving us all of the rights that we deserve.
    Passing that law in D.C. was critical, and as a resident, 
it was meaningful for me and for my family. It's essential that 
we pass these types of laws all across the country and put the 
Federal Equality Act into place.
    Ms. Norton. Thank you, Ms. Robinson.
    Mr. Wolf, what does the Equality Act mean for the LGBTQI+ 
community and communities across the country?
    Mr. Wolf. Thank you for the question.
    You know, as Kelley said, it's important because we are not 
afforded the same nondiscrimination protections that other 
groups are. I say this as a person in the state of Florida.
    One of the things that we've worked on--I work for Equality 
Florida, the state's LGBTQ civil rights organization--one of 
the things we've been working on for years is implementing 
comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people in 
our state.
    So, what does that mean? It means protecting LGBTQ people 
from being denied housing, for instance, because we have a 
boyfriend not a girlfriend. It means protecting LGBTQ people 
from being fired from their jobs because they have a picture of 
their spouse on the desk.
    And so, the Equality Act would, in ways that Florida has 
refused to do and other states have refused to do, would apply 
those nondiscrimination protections across the country.
    And I'll expand just a little bit to say that that goes 
beyond the LGBTQ community, that there are other marginalized 
communities that are further protected under the Equality Act. 
And it goes beyond just housing, public accommodations, and 
work force, it goes into credit and other things like that, 
essentially saying that LGBTQ people, like every other 
American, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and we 
deserve to be protected from discrimination.
    Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Wolf.
    Ms. Pocock, in June this committee favorably reported the 
LGBTQ+ Data Inclusion Act to the full House, which passed 
historic legislation in commemoration of Pride Month. I was an 
original cosponsor of that bill.
    This bill would expand the collection of voluntary, self-
disclosed information regarding sexual orientation. It would 
help to ensure policymakers can make better--can better 
understand the specific challenges that this community faces.
    So, Ms. Pocock, what kinds of specific challenges do the 
LGBTQI+ people who you serve in your community face in the 
areas of healthcare, housing, and education?
    Ms. Pocock. Thank you for asking that question.
    You know, we see double, sometimes triple the rate of 
suicide risk, school truancy, lack of care. I had one 13-year-
old show up at our center who was living on the streets because 
it was safer than home. About a third of our young people 
experience homelessness.
    So, it's so important to track data so that, one, we know 
how well we're doing for these young people; and two, so we can 
prevent the things that they're facing.
    Ms. Norton. Thank you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady's time has expired.
    Mr. Cloud is now recognized.
    Mr. Cloud.
    Mr. Cloud. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    And thank you, Ms. Pocock, for staying online. I know 
you're not in the room. We haven't forgotten you're there. 
Appreciate you being here.
    I was curious to get your thoughts just really on, in the 
context of this conversation we're having today, what the role 
of the traditional nuclear family is in society today, what 
your take is on that.
    Ms. Pocock. Thank you for having me. I recently had a 
surgery and so I'm not able to fly, so just I really appreciate 
the opportunity to testify virtually.
    So, you know, what I can tell you is that research shows 
that young people who are connected with trusted adults, 
whether it be parents--in fact, just one trusted adult reduces 
the risk of suicide by five times.
    So, the reality is family structure is important and those 
of us in this community know that we have family structures in 
which our children are very taken care of, have great health 
outcomes, similar to others who might be in different 
structured households.
    But the truth is, anyone can be a trusted adult and impact 
the outcomes for young people. And so that's why we're 
constantly educated--educating the community, be the trusted 
adult for the young person.
    No matter where you are, you could be a teacher, you could 
be a neighbor, if that young person trusts you, they can come 
to you with a difficult problem they're facing and that will 
reduce their risks.
    Mr. Cloud. Do you believe that parents have a right to be 
involved in these sorts of discussions with their children in 
school?
    Ms. Pocock. So, we have I think about a hundred parents who 
participate in our programs to support their young people. And 
so, at Inside Out, we believe that if parents want to show up 
as a partner in the success of their young people, they're 
going to have healthier outcomes.
    So, for example, young people who----
    Mr. Cloud. But do parents have a right to know, is my 
question.
    Ms. Pocock. Do parents have a right to know what? I don't 
understand what you're asking.
    Mr. Cloud. What their child is dealing with. For example, 
if there's a child or a teenager in school who's questioning 
their identity or those sorts of things, do parents have a 
right to know and be involved in that discussion?
    Ms. Pocock. Well, I'd say it depends. Again, we have young 
people who show up at our space who are leaving unsafe, abusive 
homes. And in that case, we have to do everything we can to 
make sure that young person is safe and protected.
    We have--we are constantly filing reports of abuse and 
neglect because of--parents do not [inaudible] young people who 
they are.
    Mr. Cloud. I understand the cases of--it sounds like you're 
deflecting the question a little bit. I understand cases of 
abuse, there's laws to protect the abused. I mean, schools 
actually are legally obligated to report cases of abuse, same 
for churches and the like, anyone who deals with young people.
    But do parents have a right? Should they be informed about 
what's going on? Do they have a right to know what's going on 
in their kids' lives?
    Ms. Pocock. So, I think, again, those of us who are 
protecting and supporting young people are there and trusted 
with the information of the things that they are dealing with.
    In terms of parents' rights to know at schools, I mean, 
here in Colorado parents don't have the right. If a young 
person is questioning their gender or their sexuality, there 
are laws in place that say that they have the right to process 
that with their trusted counselor and so forth.
    Mr. Cloud. So, you do a significant amount of your work 
with kids even starting at age 13?
    Ms. Pocock. Yes.
    Mr. Cloud. What would be the age of consent then in your 
mind?
    Ms. Pocock. In our community, the age of consent to mental 
health therapy is 12 years old.
    So, we have laws that enable young people to connect with 
trusted adults who can support them. That is just so important. 
It prevents suicide.
    And so, we serve young people at 13 because we know they 
come to us and we can prevent negative health outcomes for 
them.
    Mr. Cloud. OK. Lately, we've seen a lot of people in the 
news coming out detransitioning. Could you speak to that 
phenomenon? What's that person going through? Did they get it 
wrong? Were they going through a period? Is it just a fluid 
thing? I mean, could you speak to that?
    Ms. Pocock. Well, you know, I can't really speak to an 
individual's personal experience. I mean, somebody's gender is 
just a really personal experience.
    But I can speak to you--I've been in this work for a long 
time. I know a lot of trans folks, close friends, family 
members.
    Mr. Cloud. The concern is----
    Ms. Pocock. And I just never heard a case of anyone 
detransitioning. So, I honestly don't think it's a real----
    Mr. Cloud. There's a number of cases in the news right now 
where this is happening. And the concern parents have is we've 
all had awkward teen years where we've questioned things and 
existence and a lot of things.
    And the question is, is kids who are maybe making a 
permanent decision, even without the input of their parents, 
and making irreversible decisions. There's some who've talked 
about they can't have kids anymore and they wish they could and 
the like.
    And so, I'm curious how we would work to protect kids. I 
wish we had more time.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman's time has expired.
    Mr. Cloud. Because I think this is an important issue to 
get into.
    But thank you for being here.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
    The gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Raskin, is recognized for 
five minutes.
    Mr. Raskin. Madam Chair, thank you. And I want to start 
just by saluting you for your extraordinary and energetic 
leadership of this committee and your historic leadership as 
the first woman ever to be the chair of the Oversight and 
Reform Committee.
    And we will continue on all of your major priorities with 
respect to the Census, the post office, fairness in the 
immigration process, and of course the Equal Rights Amendment, 
which we know is so close to your heart.
    So, thank you for everything you've done for us.
    I want to thank the witnesses for coming and testifying 
about anti-LGBTQ violence and incitement. And I offer my 
condolences for the losses all of you suffered at the Club Q 
shooting last month. We're keeping you all close to our hearts.
    When you look at the hostile treatment of minorities in 
America or in any country on Earth, you find a spectrum of 
negative actions that can begin just with vilification, 
demonization, stereotyping. Then it can become statutory 
discrimination and stigmatization against a minority. And then 
it can culminate in violence.
    And we've seen the most horrific episodes of that kind of 
violence and some of them are taking place in different parts 
of the world today.
    In recent years, certain state legislators have sought to 
turn government into an instrument of hostility to and 
demonization of LGBTQ people. More than 340 pieces of anti-
LGBTQ bills were introduced in legislatures across America this 
year, triple the number that were introduced four years ago. 
Forty-eight state bills that aim to limit or ban discussion of 
the existence of gay people have been considered in 21 states.
    Mr. Wolf, as an LGBTQ civil rights advocate in Florida, 
could you speak to us about how Florida's Don't Say Gay law 
affects you? And what is the effect of these types of bills 
that seek to promote censorship or invisibility of entire 
communities?
    Mr. Wolf. Yes. Thank you for the question.
    And I want to start by acknowledging that Republicans in 
Florida promised us that the bill was narrow in scope, that it 
was only focused on preventing young children from being 
sexualized or learning about sexual topics. And although we 
told them that the language of the bill was nothing like that 
and that it had far broader reach than they were saying, they 
assured us that there would be nothing to worry about.
    And so, as a result, what have we seen? Well, we've seen 
books being banned with LGBTQ characters across the state. 
We've seen teachers being told to hide their family photos in 
their desks. We've seen school districts like Miami-Dade County 
refusing to recognize LGBTQ History Month, for instance, saying 
that it might violate the Don't Say Gay or Trans law.
    Those are just some of the impacts, and they're weighing 
most heavily on LGBTQ families who fought really hard to see 
their loved ones recognized and respected. It's weighing on 
teachers who are fleeing the profession. We have over 9,000 
teacher vacancies in Florida, in part because they've been 
undergoing character assassination over the last couple of 
years.
    And, finally, it's weighing most heavily on LGBTQ young 
people. The Trevor Project tells us that almost two-thirds of 
trans young people are experiencing poorer mental health 
outcomes because of policies like House Bill 1557 in Florida.
    So, in short, the debate over the humanity of LGBTQ people 
is making life harder and less safe for people, especially in 
the state of Florida.
    Mr. Raskin. Well, thank you for that comprehensive and 
alarming answer.
    Ms. Pocock, how do you think that banning references to 
LGBTQ people in the classroom and school curriculum affects 
LGBTQ youth?
    Ms. Pocock. Well, again, this is a situation where we know 
that when you build an inclusive classroom, you have young 
folks who are more engaged, more likely to show up at school.
    And so, again, the best thing that we can do is prevent 
negative outcomes by creating an inclusive classroom, an 
inclusive church, an inclusive home. That is hands down, 
research shows, the very best thing we can do for young people.
    Mr. Raskin. Ms. Hunt, how do extreme laws like Alabama's 
law affect the health and safety of LGBTQ youth? This is the 
one that--well, we've discussed it. But how does it affect the 
mental and emotional health of the kids in the classroom?
    Ms. Hunt. Sure. When children are told that they're not 
part of society, that they don't have a role and a place in any 
part of their lives, whether it is being represented in the 
classroom, whether it's participating in school activities, 
whether it's receiving healthcare, whether it is just being 
part of their communities as a whole, it teaches them that they 
don't belong, that they are lesser than, and that they are not 
as worthy as their classmates and as their peers.
    And that's not the message that we should ever be teaching 
to young children anywhere in this country.
    Mr. Raskin. Thank you very much.
    And I yield back, Madam Chair.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman's time has expired, and 
thank you.
    We will now hear from the gentleman from Florida, Mr. 
Donalds.
    You are now recognized for five minutes.
    Mr. Donalds. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    And Madam Chair, it has actually been a pleasure to serve 
with you. I know we have had disagreements in this committee, 
but I think what the American people probably don't know is 
that we've also had very cordial conversations, whether it's in 
the committee room itself or in the Chamber, the House Chamber, 
or in the hallways. And so, with whatever the next steps are in 
your life, good luck, God bless, and I know that this place 
will miss you.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you very much. And I'm pleased we 
were able to honor all of your requests for hearings.
    Mr. Donalds. I appreciate that as well. Thank you so much, 
Madam Chair.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
    Mr. Donalds. I seem to be slotted in this hearing and it's 
kind of an appropriate time. Obviously, Florida has been a 
topic of conversation. Since I am a current congressional 
Member from Florida, I also served four years in Florida's 
Legislature, I figure I'm somewhat an expert on Florida law and 
practices when it comes to the Oversight Committee.
    A couple things. One, my first legislative session I was 
the author of one of those bills that actually allow for 
community input with respect to material being in the 
classrooms, books that are being purchased by school districts. 
House Bill 989, I am the author of that legislation, which was 
signed by then Governor Rick Scott.
    That legislation allowed for parents and taxpayers in the 
county to be able to bring objections to the local school board 
for books that were purchased in the classroom for students to 
view.
    Now, I understand at the time the critics, Equality Florida 
and others, said that it was going to allow for banning of 
material. But the truth is, the merits of the bill, the actual 
process of the bill, because I was there when the rulemaking 
was done, is that there is a systematic approach for every 
district to take in public comment about material that is going 
to be purchased by the school district, and then the school 
district is the one that goes through the purchasing decisions 
of said material.
    So, I guess my question for the panel is, do you think it 
is appropriate for the taxpayers in a county and the parents in 
a county to actually be at the table when materials are being 
purchased by the school district using taxpayer money?
    Mr. Wolf, I'll start with you. We can go down the list.
    Mr. Wolf. Sure. Equality Florida's stance and my stance has 
always been that community involvement in education makes 
education better for young people. And it's important that the 
entire community is engaged when we're talking about what books 
we want on shelves, what things we want to be learning in the 
classroom.
    The unfortunate part is that that's not happening in the 
state of Florida. I'll give you an example. Palm Beach County 
Schools, as a result of the passage of HB 1557, went around the 
community review process and universally banned by decree of 
the superintendent a whole host of books that had LGBTQ 
characters in them, that were written by Black authors. And the 
reason given was that it might be in violation of HB 1557----
    Mr. Donalds. Real quick point on that. Real quick point on 
that.
    So does the superintendent have the authority, since they 
are hired by the school district and the school district is the 
body that spends taxpayer money, is responsible for dispensing 
education, is it the responsibility of a superintendent to 
actually examine material that should be in the front of 
children?
    Doesn't the superintendent have the responsibility to 
examine material and make the determination whether it is 
suitable for a child, let's say, who's eight years old or 10 
years old?
    Mr. Wolf. I would argue that you just contradicted 
yourself, that it's either----
    Mr. Donalds. I did not contradict myself, Mr. Wolf. I'm 
saying that the superintendent also has that ability.
    Mr. Wolf. It can't be either the superintendent does it by 
decree or the community gets input.
    Mr. Donalds. I would argue----
    Mr. Wolf. If you believe that the community----
    Mr. Donalds. I would argue that superintendents do a lot of 
things by decree, not just in Florida but across the country. 
But 989, the bill that I sponsored, was for material is 
purchased before it comes into the school district.
    Now, once the material is in the school district, yes, the 
superintendent and his or her assigned can go through and 
systematically decide what material is allowed in the classroom 
or not.
    OK. This is the one thing I don't like about congressional 
hearings, because they give us five minutes and there's so much 
we could've gotten into. It's one of the reasons I'm sponsoring 
changes to House rules. But that's another story for another 
day.
    I do want to come quick to the essence of the hearing. The 
violence that has been exhibited against people from the LGBTQ 
community is horrendous, and it is obscene, and it should not 
be tolerated.
    We were actually in a somewhat similar hearing yesterday on 
a somewhat similar topic. And when it comes to violence, my 
thought processes do not change. We cannot tolerate any of 
that.
    At the same time, the thing that we also have to be 
cognizant of is how we label the perpetrator of said violence, 
because the narrative in our politics is that violence against 
Black people or violence against LGBTQ people are somehow 
coming from White-wing extremists. That is dialog that has 
happened in this hearing today.
    But, Mr. Wolf, I remember when Pulse shooting happened. I 
was in the legislature at the time. I remember. It was horrific 
then. The shooter in question is somebody who actually assigned 
themselves and subscribed themselves to ISIS and to ISIS 
theoretical, theological leanings, not a right winger, not a 
left winger, somebody that has views that are abhorrent here in 
the United States.
    So, I think if we're going to discuss these things, we have 
to make sure--I know I'm over my time, Madam Chair. I 
apologize.
    But I think that what we have to make sure is that we stand 
up against hate and violence, but we do not at the same time 
cast aspersions on our fellow Americans until we actually 
understand the motives of the individual assailants and then 
deal with it properly.
    With that, I yield back.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
    The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Fallon, is now recognized.
    Mr. Fallon. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    You know, I want to just speak from the heart and be rather 
just authentic. And listen, I was listening to the testimony 
earlier and what--we always fear--as a child you'd fear the 
bogeyman and the six-arm lady in the closet and all these 
illogical fears that we have. But unfortunately, there are 
folks that are in the wrong place at the wrong time with evil 
that lurks.
    Mr. Wolf, you were one of those folks being there. It's 
horrific, as my colleague said, and my heart goes out to you.
    What I want to avoid, though, is to place blame on people 
that have a different political philosophy, because the vast 
majority, and I'm talking 99.999 and you just keep going of 
Americans, don't want to harm anyone and don't harm anyone.
    And so, to place blame on an ideology--because I think you 
said earlier right-wing extremism. I caught that. And I'm 
sorry, because we were running different hearings.
    Do you fear, Mr. Wolf, left-wing extremism?
    Mr. Wolf. I would say that based on the Department of 
Homeland Security's recent report that said domestic terror 
threats are focused right now on communities like mine, that 
has driven fear around how the rhetoric people use about LGBTQ 
people may result in violence.
    Mr. Fallon. So, you don't--so do you--so you don't fear 
left-wing extremism?
    Mr. Wolf. Do you have an example of a left-wing extremist 
engaging in anti-LGBTQ violence?
    Mr. Cloud. Do you know who James T. Hodgkinson is?
    Mr. Wolf. I don't.
    Mr. Cloud. OK. Do you know of any historical incidents 
where there were multiple Members of Congress murdered or 
assassinated, are you aware of any, in the country's 250-year 
history?
    Mr. Wolf. Yes, yes. Yes.
    Mr. Fallon. I'm not aware of any multiple incidents like 
that. I don't think it has happened, fortunately, in history 
because we'd go down a very dark tunnel if that did occur.
    But it almost did occur. A few years back, James T. 
Hodgkinson shot Steve Scalise, who's now the majority leader, 
or will soon be the majority leader in the next Congress, and 
almost killed him. And was asked, do you know James T. 
Hodgkinson's political affiliation? He was a Bernie Sanders 
acolyte. He was a big fan of Bernie Sanders.
    None of us blamed Bernie Sanders for that shooting, because 
he didn't do it. Now, there's rhetoric on that side that could 
encourage very unstable people, but unstable people are 
dangerous inherently.
    And the thing is, if Steve Scalise wasn't there, because he 
had a detail because he was, I believe, the minority whip at 
the time, I wasn't here, he had a security detail that ended up 
eliminating that threat and killing that man.
    Had he not been there, you're probably looking at 15 to 20 
Republican Members of Congress that would've been murdered. He 
even asked--because they were at a baseball practice in the 
morning--he even asked, ``Are you Republicans?'' And when they 
said yes, that's when the rifle came out and that's when the 
gun came out.
    The only person responsible for that shooting was that man. 
No one else. And I've tried to be very careful about that. 
Because would you agree that this is something that a Member of 
Congress should say talking about folks that we disagree with? 
There were several quotes--sorry. It's what happens when you go 
on to multiple committee hearings here.
    Would you agree with this? If a Republican said we've got 
to stay on the street and we've got to get more active and 
we've got to get more confrontational, we've got to make sure 
that they know we mean business. You find that incendiary at 
all?
    Mr. Wolf. If we're talking about peacefully protesting 
injustice----
    Mr. Fallon. Confrontational, getting in their face. There 
needs to be unrest in the streets. You think that could be 
incendiary at all?
    Mr. Wolf. I don't know the context of what you're talking 
about.
    Ms. Fallon. All right. Well, that was Ayanna Pressley and 
Maxine Waters, Democratic Members of Congress, said that. And I 
don't want people to get into somebody's face and get 
confrontational. They can certainly disagree. We can disagree 
civilly.
    But the Pulse Nightclub shooting, was that perpetrated by a 
right-wing extremist?
    Mr. Wolf. The Pulse Nightclub shooting was perpetrated by a 
man who pledged allegiance to ISIS.
    Mr. Fallon. So, the answer to that question would be no.
    Mr. Wolf. I don't know what his----
    Mr. Cloud. Because I don't think there's many ISIS members 
that are terrorists and also GOP voters, in fact. I would 
venture to guess that that doesn't exist on the planet.
    Mr. Wolf. To clarify, I didn't say GOP voters.
    Mr. Fallon. OK. You said right-wing extremists. So, we 
would classify the evil individual that murdered 49 and wounded 
53 and probably gives you nightmares and will for the rest of 
your life was not a right-wing extremist.
    Mr. Wolf. Is that a question?
    Mr. Fallon. Yes.
    Mr. Wolf. I would say this hearing is about the structural 
and systemic issues that are escalating anti-LGBTQ violence 
across the country.
    Mr. Fallon. Well, we got to be careful about our language 
because we don't want to point fingers at anybody other than 
the people that actually perpetuate this evil and this criminal 
violence.
    We have a method of redress in this country. We're very 
free to do so. And that's why I've always condemned all 
political violence, because there's no need for it, because we 
do have the right to protest.
    And I am very sorry about what you and those other victims 
went through. It's horrific and I'm praying for you. God bless.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman's time has expired.
    Mr. Fallon. I yield back.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlewoman from Missouri, Ms. 
Bush, is now recognized for five minutes.
    Ms. Bush.
    Ms. Bush. Yes. St. Louis and I thank you, Madam Chair, for 
convening this important hearing.
    And let me say to the witnesses, thank you for your 
testimony, thank you for staying. And sorry you have to listen 
to the White supremacy raise its ugly head throughout this 
hearing, but we're here to fight it. And so just want to make 
sure you know that.
    The rise of hate and violence----
    Mr. Comer. That, Madam Chair--I mean, my God.
    Ms. Bush [continuing]. Against the LGBTQIA community 
follows a surge of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation driven by Republican 
state lawmakers, including in my home state of Missouri.
    The Human Rights Campaign has found that Republican state 
legislators have introduced and supported over 340 anti-queer 
and/or--trans bills in the latest legislative session, and 25 
extreme discriminatory bills have already been signed into law 
across this country.
    According to PROMO Missouri, in 2020 the Missouri State 
House introduced 23 pieces of anti-LGBT+ legislation. They've 
repeatedly--it's absolutely disgusting--filed library book 
bans, bans on doctor-recommended care, student organization 
bans, and sports bans.
    Ms. Robinson, could you tell us more about the draconian 
measures state Republicans have advanced that target the 
health, the safety, and the rights of our LGBT+ community?
    Ms. Robinson. It's a crisis that we're experiencing. We are 
trying to simply be able to live freely, safely, and wholly as 
our true selves in every aspect of life and what we see is 
continued legislative attacks paired with extremist rhetoric. 
And when some of these bills are moving forward, whether or not 
they're enacted, it has a devastating impact on our community.
    Looking at Florida, again, as a Don't Say Gay or Trans bill 
was moving in the state legislature, we saw it paired with an 
intentional social media campaign that resulted in a 400 
percent increase in anti-LGBTQ+ hate and slurs happening 
online--and the majority of it was perpetrated by 10 bad 
actors.
    This is the stuff that we have to make sure that we're 
interrupting and ending. This is what's creating a dangerous 
environment for our children, for our kids, and for our 
families.
    Ms. Bush. Thank you.
    Hate drives these Republican bills, which, in turn, drive 
dangerous hate and violence toward our LGBTQ+ community. In 
Missouri, my state, we have seen multiple hate-driven murders 
of our trans siblings in recent years.
    As part of Missouri's Republicans' obsessive attack on 
trans and gay rights, they introduced legislation that would 
have criminalized parents and health services for providing 
care approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other 
leading organizations. They even sought to turn bills into 
ballot initiatives to drum up further hate and have run for 
office on platforms grounded in anti-LGBTQ+ hate.
    Dr. Meyer, what is the connection between the Republican 
crusade to target the LGBTQ+ community and the surge of hateful 
anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric online?
    Mr. Meyer. Thank you.
    Yes, I think that this rhetoric fuels, as I said before, 
what is already underlying American culture and history, and to 
fan these hateful messages just encourages bad actors.
    And I agree with what was said here. There are bad actors. 
But we also have to pay attention to the environment in which 
we live and the kind of environment either inhibits or 
encourages hateful acts.
    So, thank you.
    Ms. Bush. Thank you.
    Ms. Hunt, let me turn to you. How is America's transgender 
community disproportionately harmed by the extremism and the 
violence the committee is examining today, particularly 
speaking about Black and Brown transgender women?
    Ms. Hunt. One thing that we see repeatedly in the studies 
that we've done on the trans population is that trans people 
are about, on average, three to four times as likely to 
experience almost any negative outcome that you can expect in 
our society, be that unemployment, direct violence, negative 
experiences with the police, homelessness, discrimination in 
healthcare.
    Anything along those lines tends to hit trans people about 
three to five times as high as the national--pardon me--three 
to five times as much as the national average.
    And what we see consistently through all of these numbers 
is that trans people of color, particularly Black trans women 
and indigenous trans women, experience three to four times as 
high negative results--or negative outcomes--on all of those 
actors.
    Ms. Bush. Thank you.
    The rise of anti-queer and/or--trans extremism is a danger 
to our country, our nation, and we must act swiftly and 
urgently to eliminate it.
    Thank you. And I yield back.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady's time has expired.
    The gentleman, the ranking member, from Kentucky----
    Ms. Herrell. Madam Chair?
    Chairwoman Maloney.--Is now recognized, Mr. Comer, for five 
minutes.
    Ms. Herrell. Madam Chair?
    Mr. Comer. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    You know, I'm not even going to comment on what Ms. Bush 
said. But I'll say this. Crime's going to be a top priority for 
the Republicans on this committee in the next Congress. And 
perhaps Ms. Bush could come give us some pointers on how she's 
reduced crime in St. Louis since she's been in Congress and 
what her ideas are to further reduce crime in St. Louis.
    But wait a minute. St. Louis has one of the highest crime 
rates in America.
    So maybe she can come tell us how to secure the border and 
give her expertise on crime moving forward, because that's what 
the issue is in America. We have a crime rate that's out of 
control and we have to do better in America.
    Mr. Lehman, your testimony makes the case that hate crime 
offenders are not specialists. These criminals often have prior 
criminal offenses. Can you explain how our current justice 
system is set up to handle bias-based crimes?
    Mr. Lehman. Can you just clarify what specific component 
you're asking about? How bias-based crimes work or how we're 
responding to them currently?
    Mr. Comer. Both.
    Mr. Lehman. So, the law on bias-based crime or hate crime 
varies across jurisdiction, varies across state. You'll 
observe, for example, there's a marked increase in offenses 
against transgender people reported to the FBI since 2012. A 
lot of that is just because, prior to that, hate crime laws in 
the United States did not incorporate transgender people, and 
they still don't in some states.
    In most cases of bias-motivated defense is hate crimes are 
enhancements to other offenses. They're charging enhancements 
for another offense. So, if I shoot somebody, I would get one 
sentence. And if I shoot them in a way that is motivated by--
provably motivated by my beliefs about them or their membership 
in a protected class, there can be a higher sentence associated 
with that.
    Does that answer the question?
    Mr. Comer. So let me ask you this question.
    Mr. Lehman. Please.
    Mr. Comer. The Club Q shooter had been previously arrested 
for making violent threats against their mother, which ended in 
a standoff with the law enforcement. That's pretty serious. The 
case was dismissed due to the family's refusal to cooperate.
    You stated in your testimony that had prosecutors succeeded 
in eliciting the cooperation, five people might be alive today.
    How essential is it that prosecutors remain strong-armed on 
crime and see these cases through?
    Mr. Lehman. Absolutely. Prosecuting hate crime is 
challenging. That component that I referred to earlier, proving 
that somebody has a bias motivation is hard. It's actually 
gotten easier in the age of social media because people write 
down their thoughts so much more, but it's still very 
challenging. Best practices are not widely understood.
    So, I think it's important, particularly in hate crime 
cases, that prosecutors dedicate substantial resources to 
clearing the case. There are often abysmal clearance rates on 
hate crime.
    For example, in New York City, I think the Bronx district 
attorney's office cleared, I think, 15 percent of hate crimes 
referred to it. It's a real challenge. They need to put more 
effort into it.
    Mr. Comer. Right. Well, and this is obviously something, 
Madam Chair, I appreciate the hearing, because crime is out of 
control against everyone, the LGBTQ community, the Jewish 
community, we've seen crime increases at historically Black 
colleges and universities, Christian groups.
    So, we need to do better and this should be a topic of 
priority for the next Congress. Certainly, we need to look at 
the prosecutors because we have--especially in the Speaker's 
home city of San Francisco, the prosecutor was just recalled. I 
don't think anyone's going to classify San Francisco as a 
bastion of conservative voters.
    He was recalled for not prosecuting. And I think that 
people in America want prosecutors to do their job and hold 
criminals accountable and keep them off the street.
    So, that's going to be a priority. We certainly want to 
focus on securing the southern border. We believe that's a 
problem, especially when you look at the fentanyl and drug 
overdoses in America. We certainly want to fund our law 
enforcement.
    Obviously, there are always going to be bad actors in law 
enforcement as in every other profession. They need to be held 
accountable. But we have to take crime seriously because that 
is the top issue, one of the top issues among the voters, 
especially in the last midterm election.
    So, Madam Chair, I look forward to working with this 
committee addressing the issue of crime in the next Congress.
    And I yield back.
    Chairwoman Maloney. OK.
    The gentlelady from Massachusetts, Ms. Pressley, is now 
recognized for five minutes.
    Ms. Pressley. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Earlier today we heard from survivors of the Club Q 
nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs and the Pulse Nightclub 
shooting in Florida. I certainly look forward to a day where 
people do not have to relive their trauma in order to compel 
action, but I am grateful for the survivors who spoke today.
    Thank you for turning the deep pain and trauma that you've 
experienced into purpose. Hearing these accounts today was 
heartbreaking, and we know that your lives have been changed 
forever.
    In response to this tragedy, the fact that you have come 
here displaying great dignity and poise in the midst of it all 
certainly makes this institution better, and we thank you.
    Now, in stark contrast, we have Republicans in state 
legislatures across this country who continue to introduce and 
pass legislation undermining the rights of LGBTQ people, 
despite clear evidence that these tactics cause violence and 
loss of life.
    Certainly, here in Congress, we don't need to be reminded 
that hate speech leads to hateful violence. January 6 was 
certainly evidence of that.
    Now, in my congressional district, healthcare providers 
have experienced threats and attacks that have disrupted their 
provision of medical care to the LGBTQ community, who are 
already disproportionately facing barriers in accessing 
healthcare.
    Dr. Meyer, how do LGBTQ+ individuals disproportionately 
experience health inequities?
    Mr. Meyer. Thank you.
    I think the challenge for LGBTQ people in seeking 
healthcare is that providers are not qualified enough or not 
knowledgeable enough. And this is particularly true for 
transgender individuals across the country who report that when 
they go to see a provider, often they're the ones who have to 
teach the provider about transgender care and give them 
resources to help them help the patient.
    I think that the other side of it is that LGBTQ people also 
experience greater mental and physical health problems 
resulting from prejudice and discrimination and, therefore, 
need those services even more so.
    Ms. Pressley. Thank you, Dr. Meyer.
    And what we have seen is a policy violence in nearly half 
of the states in our country, which have introduced 43 bills 
this year alone that only would deepen those inequities, 
particularly for transgender people, by restricting access to 
gender-affirming care, including four states that have enacted 
total or partial bans. And Republicans in the House have 
introduced similar bills to block access to this necessary and 
appropriate medical care nationally.
    Ms. Hunt, why is gender-affirming care so vital for 
transgender people?
    Ms. Hunt. Thank you for shedding light on that.
    So, one of the things that we see most often in trans 
people's lives is very high experience of negative mental 
health outcomes. People will have extremely high levels of 
severe depression, suicidal ideation. There are lot of numbers 
that have floated around in social media spaces for years, 
sourced backed to some of the surveys that we did 10, 7, and 14 
years ago, specifically, on these subjects.
    And one of the things that we found in subsequent studies 
done by several organizations, including the Trevor Project, is 
that just providing access to transition-related medical care 
reduces the significant negative mental health outcomes for 
transgender youth by nearly two-thirds.
    When we have a treatment that is just that effective in 
improving people's lives, it is fundamental that we need to 
make sure that everybody who needs that care is able to access 
it. This is something that improves and is necessary for trans 
people to fully participate in society.
    Thank you.
    Ms. Pressley. Thank you. Absolutely. Transgender 
individuals deserve to receive essential lifesaving gender-
affirming healthcare and our medical personnel should be able 
to provide it without fear of being attacked.
    Last month I joined colleagues in sending a letter to the 
Department of Justice regarding the violent anti-trans threats 
that have been made against providers of gender-affirming care 
and the ways that online platforms are fueling this violence.
    I just want to close with Mr. Wolf.
    I believe it is really important to center survivors in our 
discussion here. So let me close with you. How have these 
threats impacted you and your fellow survivors personally?
    Mr. Wolf. Yes. Thank you.
    Well, first of all, it breaks my heart because it has 
resulted in further violence. It's really hard to have gone 
through something like Pulse and have a desire to make the 
world a better place and to ensure that no community ever goes 
through it again, and then to turn around and see it recur, not 
just in Colorado Springs, but really around the country.
    So, I can say that it's been a very challenging time for 
people in Orlando. It's a challenging time for survivors of 
violence against LGBTQ people.
    And I also am grateful for this committee. I'm grateful for 
this hearing that we're shining a light on what I think is an 
urgent crisis in the country.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady's time has expired.
    The gentlewoman from California, Ms. Porter, is now 
recognized for five minutes.
    Ms. Porter. Thank you very much.
    I want to start by acknowledging with gratitude everything 
that Chair Maloney has done for Oversight, including, 
importantly, lifting up voices of Americans whose needs, whose 
concerns, whose lives, whose rights are sometimes not 
recognized. And she has been long a champion for doing that for 
women, but seeing her do that for Americans across the country 
and across demographics has really meant a lot to me 
personally.
    So, I just want to take a few seconds to say thank you very 
much, Chair Maloney. You will be greatly, greatly missed. And I 
will continue to admire and be inspired by you as I work on 
Oversight in the coming years.
    I wanted to start with Ms. Robinson, if I could.
    Your organization recently released a report analyzing the 
500 most viewed, most influential tweets that identified LGBTQ 
people as so-called groomers.
    The groomer narrative is an age-old lie to position LGBTQ+ 
people as a threat to kids, and what it does is deny them 
access to public spaces, it stokes fear, and can even stoke 
violence.
    Ms. Robinson, according to its own hateful content policy, 
does Twitter allow posts calling LGBTQ people groomers?
    Ms. Robinson. No. I mean, Twitter, along with Facebook and 
many others, have community guidelines. It's about holding 
users accountable to those guidelines and acknowledging that 
when we use phrases and words like ``groomers'' and 
``pedophiles'' to describe people, individuals in our 
communities that are mothers, that are fathers, that are 
teachers, that are doctors, it is dangerous.
    And it's got one purpose: It is to dehumanize us and make 
us feel like we are not a part of this American society, and it 
has real-life consequences. So, we are calling on social media 
companies to uphold their community standards.
    And we're also calling on any American that's seeing this 
play out to hold ourselves and our community members 
accountable. We wouldn't accept this in our families, we 
wouldn't accept this in our schools, there's no reason to 
accept it online.
    Ms. Porter. So, I mean, I think you're absolutely right. 
And it's not--this allegation of groomer and pedophile, it is 
alleging that a person is criminal somehow and engaged in 
criminal acts merely because of their identity, their sexual 
orientation, their gender identity.
    So, this is clearly prohibited under Twitter's content, yet 
you found hundreds of these posts on the platform. Your team 
filed complaints about these posts, correct?
    Ms. Robinson. Yes.
    Ms. Porter. And how often did Twitter act to take down 
these posts which violated its own content policy?
    Ms. Robinson. Very rarely.
    Ms. Porter. So, from our calculation, it looks like about 
99 percent of your complaints, they basically acted on one or 
two of the hundred-plus complaints you filed. Instead of taking 
them down, Twitter elevated them, allowing them to reach an 
approximate 72 million users.
    This is not just about what happens online. What happens 
online translates into real harms in people's lives.
    Ms. Pocock, you provide services to a community that 
experienced a devastating LGBTQ attack. Can you provide some 
examples of the link between speech online and attacks against 
providers like you?
    Ms. Pocock. We know really online threats mean, in addition 
to just creating an atmosphere of bullying for young people, it 
also creates an atmosphere of delegitimizing our real 
professional trained work at Inside Out Youth Services. And 
it's just so critically important that we can continue doing 
the work that we do.
    But I want to tell just one quick story because it's 
beautiful.
    We have an online community center, and it is moderated by 
peer advisers, and when asked how many issues of, like, 
fighting or contention do you deal with on the Discord server, 
and our young people tell us, well, it doesn't happen very 
often.
    So, I'm here to tell you that our young people have figured 
out how to moderate platforms in positive, productive ways. 
Twitter, Facebook, everybody else can figure it out, too.
    Ms. Porter. Absolutely.
    Ms. Robinson, your report notes that these radicalizing 
posts, these groomer posts, these other posts that attack LGBTQ 
communities are related to acts in the real world. What happens 
online is often reflective of what happens in the real world.
    After Governor DeSantis, Governor DeSantis of Florida, 
passed his so-called Don't Say Gay bill, what trends did you 
observe online with regard to grooming-related discourse?
    Ms. Robinson. Unfortunately, we saw a 400 percent increase 
on Twitter, this sort of hateful language, particularly calling 
our community members ``groomers'' and ``pedophiles.'' And we 
know that whether or not the bills move into effect, the 
lasting impact of that online bullying of defining our 
communities in that way, it sticks, especially with our kids.
    Ms. Porter. Well, I just want to--my time has expired--but 
I just want to say I'm proud to say gay, I'm proud to stand 
with the gay community, and I'm proud that you all are here 
today as part of our country and giving us testimony.
    I yield back, Madam Chair.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The lady yields back.
    The gentleman from Rhode Island, Mr. Cicilline, who is the 
founder of the Equality Caucus, which he chairs.
    Mr. Cicilline.
    Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney. I want to 
also thank you for holding this important hearing and for being 
such a strong champion for the LGBTQ+ community throughout your 
entire public life.
    I want to begin by reminding everyone here, especially my 
colleagues across the aisle, what this hearing is about. It's 
entitled, ``The Rise of Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism and Violence in 
the United States.'' And despite this hearing title--colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle have obviously condemned the attack 
at Club Q and violence more broadly at today's hearing--it's 
also telling that the Republicans on this committee, with one 
exception, have not asked any questions about anti-LGBTQI+ 
extremism and violence. Instead, they've only wanted to talk 
about crime broadly or hate crimes against other communities.
    I'm disappointed, yet not surprised, that a few weeks after 
a killer murdered five people at an LGBTQI+ nightclub, the 
Republicans on this committee could not bring themselves to 
discuss anti-LGBTQI+ violence and its causes with our 
witnesses.
    Our community is scared, terrified that we'll be attacked 
going to the doctor, scared that we'll be attacked going to 
nightclubs, scared that we'll be attacked simply for living as 
our authentic selves. And, unfortunately, this fear is well 
grounded.
    The attack at Club Q is only the latest high-profile 
example of violence against our community. In 2021, 20 percent 
of all reported hate crimes were motivated by hate based on 
sexual orientation or gender identity.
    Let me repeat that.
    Despite the fact that LGBTQ+ people make up roughly seven 
percent of the population, 20 percent, or more than one in five 
reported hate crimes last year were motivated by sexual 
orientation or gender identity bias.
    My colleagues want to talk about anything but this anti-
LGBTQI violence and their rhetoric that is contributing to it. 
This violence is impacting both LGBTQI+ people and our 
families.
    I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record statements 
from the Equality Caucus Transgender Equality Task Force co-
chairs Representatives Jayapal, Wexton, and Newman about the 
fear that they and their families are experiencing in the wake 
of anti-trans rhetoric and violence.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Without objection.
    Mr. Cicilline. No one should have to fear violence because 
of who they are or who their family members are, but this 
violence is not happening in a vacuum. Politicians at all 
levels of government are targeting our communities, spreading 
misinformation, and looking to restrict our rights.
    Republicans are happy to discuss our community when they're 
attacking our rights, when they're crying on the House floor 
because they oppose marriage equality, or when they're 
releasing statements attacking our community in press releases 
that they introduce new bills targeting our community.
    But when it comes to actually discussing the violence 
against our community and its causes, just a quick condemnation 
of what happened at Club Q and violence broadly and nothing 
more.
    In my view this is shameful.
    And so, I want to begin, Ms. Robinson, again, to thank all 
of the witnesses for being here today. Ms. Robinson, as we near 
the end of this hearing, is there anything that we've not 
covered yet relating to anti-LGBTQ+ extremism and violence that 
you would like to share for the record?
    Ms. Robinson. We can do something about this. We can ensure 
that social media companies uphold their community standards. 
We can pass the Equality Act to ensure that LGBTQ+ people 
actually don't have legalized discrimination happening to them 
in more than half of the states.
    We can, as a community, step up and say that we 
wholeheartedly, no matter what our party affiliation is, 
repudiate and rebuke these horrendous attacks on our people.
    There is work to be done. And especially on this 10-year 
mark of Sandy Hook, we can do something to end this epidemic of 
gun violence. We have to and we must.
    Mr. Cicilline. Thank you.
    And, Mr. Wolf, thank you so much for being here and for 
sharing your story.
    What message do you have to politicians who are championing 
bills to limit the rights of the LGBTQI+ community?
    Mr. Wolf. Thank you. I'm grateful to be here.
    And my message is simple. Words have consequences. Somebody 
has to pay the price for unmitigated, unbridled hatred, the 
kind of hatred we have seen on the rise across this country. 
We've heard a lot about accountability in this hearing, and I'm 
glad we're talking about accountability.
    No one is asking for anyone but the shooter at Club Q to be 
on trial in Colorado Springs. But what we are saying is that 
people should be accountable for the things that come out of 
their mouths. And, when you're willing to traffic in cheap 
shots and bigotry against a marginalized community that's 
already seeing hate against it on the rise, that's already 
seeing violence rising across the country, when you're willing 
to traffic in those things to score political points, you have 
to be accountable for what happens next. You have to hold 
yourself accountable for the impacts of your words.
    Words really do have consequences. Unfortunately, 
communities like mine have felt them. We have to do better than 
we are today.
    Mr. Cicilline. Thank you.
    And I want to thank you, Madam Chair, for allowing me to 
waive onto the committee for this hearing, and I think, to Mr. 
Wolf's point, we not only have to condemn these statements and 
this rhetoric, but we sadly have Members of the Congress of the 
United States that are engaging in the use of some of this very 
inflammatory rhetoric against the LGBTQI community----
    Chairwoman Maloney. Yes. The gentleman's time----
    Mr. Cicilline [continuing]. And it needs to stop now.
    Chairwoman Maloney.--Has expired.
    Mr. Cicilline. I yield back.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman's time has expired.
    The gentleman from New York, Mr. Mondaire Jones, is now 
recognized.
    Mr. Jones. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I join the course of 
my colleagues in celebrating your tremendous service in this 
body over the past several decades and your just stalwart 
championing our community, the LGBTQI+ community. So, thank you 
for that.
    As I said on the floor of the House during debate on the 
Equality Act, to grow up poor, Black, and gay is to not see 
yourself anywhere. It is also to feel completely unseen as so 
many people around you invalidate your very existence.
    Growing up, like many people in this room, I suspect, I 
watched as mostly--as straight politicians, many of them White, 
many of them men, used my basic human rights as a political 
football to further their careers. And now, as the first openly 
Black gay Member in this body, I'm even more familiar with the 
vile, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that terrorizes our community and 
that somehow is even more harmful when it's aimed at queer 
people of color.
    Let me also just say, to amplify what Representative Porter 
had discussed previously, that I and people on my team have 
also reported many of these Twitter accounts that have hurled 
explicitly homophobic insults at me in particular, and have 
received emails stating that they are not somehow in violation 
of Twitter's purported standards, and so clearly there is 
something amiss at Twitter, but I think many of us have known 
that now for the past few months given the leadership changes.
    Many of us are scared for our lives, and rightfully so. 
LGBTQ Americans know that gay bars and clubs are sanctuaries 
for our community to gather without fear of being judged simply 
for being who they are. For many, these spaces become second 
homes where we can experience the full freedom to be ourselves.
    Such was the case for me. In my first year of law school, 
when I was still closeted, the gay bars of New York City were 
the only place I could be my authentic self, and those spaces 
helped me to come out and to be the man--the Congressman that I 
am today.
    I cannot imagine my journey to self-acceptance and 
understanding without these sanctuaries, which are now under 
assault.
    The horrific mass shootings at Pulse Nightclub and Club Q 
create fear among LGBTQ Americans that gay bars and clubs, 
these places of refuge for members of our community, are no 
longer safe. These attacks alongside other acts of violence 
against our community and the growing course of hate and 
disinformation against LGBTQ people tell us that over the past 
few years, this country has become a more dangerous place for 
us to live, unfortunately.
    Even those who simply provide services essential to the 
mental and physical well-being of members of our community are 
under attack. Earlier this month, a doctor affiliated with the 
national LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center in Boston faced 
credible death threats for their role in providing gender-
affirming care to transgender youth.
    The following day, the First Unitarian Universalist Church 
in Columbus, Ohio was forced to cancel a family friendly, 
holiday-themed drag queen storytelling event after a far-right 
extremist from the Proud Boys and the Patriot Front showed up 
to protest, armed with AR-15s, dressed in military gear, 
chanting far-right slogans, and performing Nazi salutes. When 
leaders across the country, including sitting Members of 
Congress, are peddling age-old hateful and false narratives 
about grooming and pedophilia, these are the types of people 
who show up in response.
    A recent Human Rights Campaign report found that, as 
Florida state government enacted its discriminatory Don't Say 
Gay law, anti-LGBTQ misinformation surged by over 400 percent 
on social media platforms. And worse, instead of condemning 
this deadly wave of misinformation and hate, Members of this 
body have added fuel to the fire.
    In October of this year, Representative Mike Johnson of 
Louisiana introduced his own Don't Say Gay bill to amplify this 
hateful policy on a national scale, and dozens of Members of 
this body cosponsored that legislation. Shame on them.
    If enacted, Mr. Johnson's heinous bill would, among other 
things, prohibit federally funded schools from providing sex 
education or library books to children under 10 that include 
LGBTQ topics. In doing so, his bill would send a message to 
LGBTQ children in the most vulnerable stage of their lives that 
they are an other, whose very existence society refuses to 
recognize.
    It is hard, in closing, to listen to the stories of Club Q 
and Pulse nightclub survivors and not be in awe of their 
bravery and resilience, and so, I thank you for your courage. 
I'm furious that our community is forced to live again and 
again with this pain, but I am optimistic about the future of 
this country with your leadership and with people----
    Chairwoman Maloney. OK. Thank you.
    Mr. Jones [continuing]. Of good conscience in this body.
    Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman's time has expired----
    Mr. Jones. I yield back, Madam Chair.
    Chairwoman Maloney.--and voting--votes have been called.
    So, I now recognize the gentleman, Vice Chair Gomez. You 
are recognized for five minutes.
    Mr. Gomez. Thank you, Madam Chair, for calling this 
important hearing. And, as we've known for far too long, words 
have consequences, especially when they're coming from our 
elected leaders. A rise of anti-LGBTQ violence is unequivocally 
linked with the rise of inflammatory, dangerous rhetoric coming 
from the far right, especially since the election of former 
President Trump.
    Make no mistake, those on the far right who are spreading 
misinformation and hateful rhetoric are often the same 
individuals and groups who helped orchestrate and carry out the 
January 6th insurrection. Just like in the aftermath of the 
2020 election, extremists are intentionally manufacturing 
falsehoods about the LGBTQ community. They're attempting to 
stir violence and scare Americans as they push their radical 
agenda to roll back the clock on civil rights.
    People look to their elected leaders to tell them the 
truth. Instead, Republican candidates and politicians pair 
misinformation and hate, giving these deadly lies a much larger 
platform. When violent extremists believe these lies, it paints 
a target on the backs of the LGBTQ communities and leads to 
real-world violence.
    Now, Republican lawmakers across the country are moving to 
make discrimination official government policy. This year 
alone, we've seen more than 20 states introduce Don't Say Gay 
bills aimed at erasing LGBTQ history and culture from being 
taught and denying LGBTQ students the ability to be supported 
and affirmed in their education.
    But it's not just at the state level. In October, 38 of my 
Republican colleagues introduced Federal legislation inspired 
by Florida's Don't Say Gay or Trans law, which would restrict 
Federal funding for schools that incorporate curriculum that 
recognizes and supports LGBTQ students.
    Ms. Pocock, what is a Federal Don't Say--why is a Federal 
Don't Say Gay or Trans bill so dangerous, particularly for 
LGBTQ youth, and how does it risk further undermining the 
health and safety of LGBTQ young people?
    Ms. Pocock. Thank you.
    You know, the difficulty of this--of a bill like a Don't 
Say Gay bill is that it erases us. It doesn't amplify to young 
people their mentors--teachers, Congressmen, Congresswomen--who 
are similar to them, who are doing really incredible work for 
our country. It doesn't set the platform up for them to see 
themselves in their future. But it also minimizes the 
experience of their families. And so, really, again, the best 
thing we can do for young people is see them, hear them, and 
recognize them.
    Mr. Gomez. Thank you.
    As somebody who has a sibling who is gay, I grew up back in 
a very conservative area of California back in the 1980's, 
Riverside, and not seeing individuals who are--had leadership 
positions or also just straight-up discriminated against 
because they're LGBTQ, gay or lesbian, or nonbinary or trans, 
it was something I know had a profound impact on him, but also 
on myself. It's something that made me question why things are 
the way they are, why are somebody that I care about, somebody 
that I love deeply is being punished for who they are?
    And schools, oftentimes when you don't get their 
affirmation in your school, then you don't want to go to 
school. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, my brother 
never finished high school, but he ended up going and getting 
his GED. He was smarter than I ever was or would be. He ended 
up going off to UC-Santa Cruz and getting his degree and became 
a teacher, an educator. But it is--those--showing those 
examples, I think, does make a difference.
    And so, thank you for mentioning that, Doctor, because I 
think that's what we need to ensure.
    So, this is not the end of this discussion and the end of 
this fight, but we're going to keep pushing back on that 
rhetoric that I believe is so dangerous for the health of our 
young people, but also just for our communities as a whole.
    And, with the last remaining time I have, I just want to 
congratulate Chairwoman Maloney for her tenure here in 
Congress, and then also being a champion for women's rights, 
LGBT rights, the disenfranchised, and ensuring that we have a 
stronger democracy.
    With that, I yield back.
    Congratulations, Madam Chairman--Chairwoman.
    Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you so much.
    And I now recognize myself.
    We are experiencing a crisis, and I must say that the 
panelists--first, I want to thank all of my colleagues that 
participated, but the panel was a particularly articulate and 
informed one. You gave us a great deal to think about on a very 
difficult subject.
    This was put together very quickly by the health team and 
the domestic policy team. I particularly want to thank Miles 
Lichtman and Daniel Yim for an excellent job putting this 
together. We're very grateful, and all of your entire team. 
We'll continue working on these important issues.
    Today's hearing is one of the final hearings of the 117th 
Congress, examining one of the most pressing issues that our 
nation will face in the years to come, the rise of extremism 
and violence targeting LGBTQI+ people in the United States.
    We heard from the brave survivors of violent attacks 
against the LGBTQI community, nightclubs in Colorado Springs 
and Orlando. And these stories were heartbreaking, because they 
should not have to be so brave. Like every person who goes out 
to celebrate with their friends and their loved ones, they 
deserve to be joyful and free and secure in our country.
    While today's hearing examined the challenges our society 
faces in ensuring that LGBTQI people can exist free from 
violence and bigotry, it also offered a vision for a more 
inspiring future, one where LGBTQI people have the freedom to 
live authentically and freely and safely.
    As our nation continues to grapple with this recent tragedy 
at Club Q, I hope that we and Congress can look inward and find 
the courage to not only stand against this bigotry, but to also 
take bold action to end it.
    We can do this by building on the progress of the past 
several months, which includes codifying protections for the 
same-sex marriages and enacting the first commonsense gun 
safety package in decades, a package that followed this 
committee's hearing examining the senseless violence that 
occurred in Uvalde, Buffalo, and other communities across the 
United States.
    But, as we remember--as we remember the 20 children and the 
six educators who lost their lives at Sandy Hook years ago, we 
are reminded that much more needs to be done to stop senseless 
bloodshed.
    I applaud President Biden for his action yesterday in 
signing the important bill on marriage equality.
    Now, before I conclude, I would like to enter into the 
record a number of statements the committee received ahead of 
today's hearings. These were submissions from my colleagues, 
Congresswoman Jayapal, Congresswoman Wexton, Congresswoman 
Newman; Dr. Meredith McNamara, who provides critically needed 
care to younger patients who are transgender in New Haven, 
Connecticut; the Whitman-Walker Institute; and more than 40 
LGBTQI+ rights advocacy organizations in support of gender-
affirming care: The National Women's Law Center, the National 
Education Association, and the United States Professional 
Association for Transgender Health.
    There was a tremendous outpouring of support and interest 
in this hearing. We thank all of you very, very much.
    And, with that, I'd like to conclude by saying that our 
panelists were remarkable. We thank you for your remarks, and I 
commend my colleagues.
    And, without objection, all members will have five 
legislative days within which to submit extraneous materials 
and to submit additional written questions for the witnesses to 
the chair, which will be forwarded to the witnesses, and we 
hope we'll have your swift response.
    I ask our witnesses to please respond as promptly as 
possible.
    And, with that, this hearing is adjourned, and I am running 
to vote.
    [Whereupon, at 1:31 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]

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