Two barrier-breakers from New York are marking their first Pride Month on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n
Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones are the first two openly-gay Black men elected to Congress. Both were elected last fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a surreal experience,\u201d said Jones of his first Pride as a member of Congress.<\/p>\n
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What You Need To Know<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n- Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones – both New Yorkers – are the first openly-gay Black men elected to Congress<\/li>\n
- Torres is also the first openly-gay Afro-Latino member of Congress<\/li>\n
- \u201cEvery time I set foot on the House floor, I cannot help but feel the weight of history on my shoulders,\u201d Rep. Torres said<\/li>\n
- Both congressmen argue that while progress has been made there is a lot more they need to fight for in Washington<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/h5>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJones, a Democrat representing Westchester and Rockland Counties, said that when he was younger, he never imagined coming out \u2014 let alone being accepted as an openly-gay candidate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a testament to the kind of progress we have made in our society that I don\u2019t feel particularly discriminated against in the halls of Congress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Torres, a Democrat who represents the Bronx, is also the first openly-gay Afro-Latino member of Congress.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I set foot on the House floor, I cannot help but feel the weight of history on my shoulders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That weight comes with a sense of responsibility, they say. Both congressmen argue that while progress has been made \u2014 marriage equality, for example \u2014 there is a lot more they need to fight for in Washington.<\/p>\n
Torres is pushing for legislation<\/a> requiring financial institutions to gather data on LGBTQ-owned businesses and their access to credit and capital, the goal being to ensure their access is equal.<\/p>\n
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- Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones – both New Yorkers – are the first openly-gay Black men elected to Congress<\/li>\n
- Torres is also the first openly-gay Afro-Latino member of Congress<\/li>\n
- \u201cEvery time I set foot on the House floor, I cannot help but feel the weight of history on my shoulders,\u201d Rep. Torres said<\/li>\n
- Both congressmen argue that while progress has been made there is a lot more they need to fight for in Washington<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/h5>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJones, a Democrat representing Westchester and Rockland Counties, said that when he was younger, he never imagined coming out \u2014 let alone being accepted as an openly-gay candidate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a testament to the kind of progress we have made in our society that I don\u2019t feel particularly discriminated against in the halls of Congress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Torres, a Democrat who represents the Bronx, is also the first openly-gay Afro-Latino member of Congress.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I set foot on the House floor, I cannot help but feel the weight of history on my shoulders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That weight comes with a sense of responsibility, they say. Both congressmen argue that while progress has been made \u2014 marriage equality, for example \u2014 there is a lot more they need to fight for in Washington.<\/p>\n
Torres is pushing for legislation<\/a> requiring financial institutions to gather data on LGBTQ-owned businesses and their access to credit and capital, the goal being to ensure their access is equal.<\/p>\n