Dear Friends and Neighbors,

On Sunday, we celebrated the start of Pride Month. Below are the remarks I made at the Greenwich Pride Celebration (and you can watch my video below):

I am so honored to be here today with all of you to celebrate the start of Pride Month! 

On Memorial Day, we honored all those who had given their lives to preserve the values and ideals of our country, values set out in our Declaration of Independence: That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Yet, throughout the country, there are groups actively working to undermine these fundamental freedoms. We must stop them!
 
Throughout the country, there are efforts to ban books that feature LGBTQ+ characters. We can’t let them!

Throughout the country, youth are being threatened and attacked because of their sexual orientation. We will protect them!

And, throughout the country, states have taken steps to restrict the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community. Nationwide, in this 2024 legislative session, 515 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced. We must strongly oppose such bills!

Pride is a great word for this celebration and I want you to know that I am proud to be here, with all of you. 

And, I’m proud to reaffirm my commitment to the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, to make sure that all the residents of our town and state are treated equally and are safe from discrimination, and especially so our children can thrive in safe and inclusive spaces, whether those are schools, places of worship, community centers and activities, or libraries.
 
I stand with you now and forever. A committed ally. Thank you and Happy Pride Month!

Last year, we passed an anti-discrimination statute that strengthens protections for the LGBTQ+ community and we will continue that work so that Connecticut can remain a leader in safeguarding the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

I need your help to continue this work! Please sign up here to volunteer to help on my campaign or donate here.

Thank you for your continued confidence and support!

Sincerely,
Paid for by Rachel for CT149, Diane Kretschmann, Treasurer. Approved by Rachel Khanna.