FAIR LAWN, N.J. (Bergen County) — U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer hosted a Pride Month roundtable Thursday with North Jersey LGBTQ+ advocates, community leaders and local elected officials to discuss issues affecting the community.
The discussion focused on mental health, hate crimes, public safety and homelessness, according to Gottheimer’s office.
“It’s a privilege to represent North Jersey’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community and our Jersey Values in Congress, the first of which is freedom: freedom to be who you want to be and love who you want to love. Freedom to live free of fear, discrimination, and hate,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. “I will always oppose any attempt by those in Washington or around the country to roll back the clock on progress. At the end of the day, equality shouldn’t be a Democrat or Republican issue. It’s an American issue.”
Gottheimer’s office said he is supporting several measures related to LGBTQ+ rights and protections, including the Elder Pride Protection Act, which would create a task force within the Department of Justice focused on combating abuse against elderly LGBTQ+ Americans.
He is also a cosponsor of the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act, which would require specialized crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Gottheimer also supports the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, named for a Ridgewood student who died by suicide after being cyberbullied. The bill would require colleges and universities receiving federal student aid to adopt anti-harassment policies.
His office also cited his support for the Equality Act, which would ban discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in housing, employment, federal funding and other areas, and the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into law in 2022 and provides federal protections for marriage equality.
