Expanding Protections for the LGBTQI+ Community
Over the past several years we have all seen an unacceptable rise in anti-LGBTQI+ legislation around the country. Congressman Garcia believes that government has a responsibility to protect the LGBTQI+ community—especially transgender and nonbinary Americans—and defend the important progress we’ve made on issues like marriage equality. He knows that we must also take strong steps to enshrine anti-discrimination protections into federal law and ensure the civil rights of everyone in our country are respected.
More on Expanding Protections for the LGBTQI+ Community
June 25, 2024
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) on Monday unveiled his second annual Pride playlist, complete with hits from pop powerhouses Beyoncé and Taylor Swift and rising stars including Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.
Congressman Robert Garcia Releases Second Annual Pride Playlist to Celebrate the Beginning of Summer
June 25, 2024
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) released his 2024 Pride Playlist to celebrate the end of Pride Month. The playlist includes songs from artists like Chappell Roan, Beyoncé, and Selena. This is the second annual Pride Playlist that the Congressman has released. You can listen on Spotify or Apple Music.
June 18, 2024
Out gay Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif) has sent a letter to federal officials asking them to help protect LGBTQ+ people from violence during Pride month. In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Director of the FBI Christopher Wray, Garcia expressed “grave concern” in light of FBI and DHS warnings of “foreign terrorist organizations’’ posing a risk to queer people during June.
June 18, 2024
U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) on June 12 sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray to work to ensure LGBTQ people during Pride events.
June 14, 2024
The California Democrat passionately defended the art form during a debate in the House of Representatives over the National Defense Authorization Act. Republicans sneaked a number of culture war issues into the annual defense funding legislation, including amendments preventing funds from covering service members' abortion travel costs and gender-affirming care, as well as preventing funds from being used to host drag shows on military bases.
June 13, 2024
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) on Thursday protested an amendment added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that bars funding for drag performances with a blown-up photo of former President Trump and Rudy Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and Trump attorney, dressed in drag.
May 20, 2024
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said that he would be working directly with the State Department to “push back on this direct attack on LGBTQ+ Peruvians,” because the measure “moves Peru backward.” “As a gay Peruvian-American and the first Peruvian American to serve in Congress, it’s clear to me the decision by the Boluarte administration and the right-wing Congress to attack and label trans and intersex Peruvians as ‘mentally ill’ is discriminatory, dangerous and shameful,” he said.
May 16, 2024
Rep. Robert Garcia, the first Peruvian American elected to Congress, won’t attend a June event with the country’s embassy after Peru classified transgender people as mentally ill.
May 16, 2024
Gay California U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia has condemned a decree by the Peruvian government that classifies transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals as “mentally ill.” The May 10 decree, signed by President Dina Boluarte, Health Minister César Vásquez, and Economic and Finance Minister José Arista, has drawn widespread criticism from human rights organizations and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups globally.
May 15, 2024
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) released the following statement after the Peruvian Government’s Health Ministry ruled to classify transgender, non-binary, and intersex people in Peru as “mentally ill:”