US Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) returned to the House floor last week to defend funding for The Pryde — the first affordable housing development for LGBTQ seniors in Massachusetts, developed by LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc. Back in the summer, the Republican majority on the House Appropriations Committee stripped the funding, along with support for other LGBTQ initiatives, from their appropriations bill. The Senate quickly moved to restore the funding in a bill of their own, but the House must still approve it.
Reports the Advocate:
“I oppose this legislation for the draconian cuts and dangerous provisions included in it,” Pressley said, condemning the exclusion as a glaring oversight in a bill that she believes otherwise addresses critical funding priorities. The congresswoman accused her colleagues of hypocrisy, saying, “It would seem with my colleagues across the aisle that the word freedom is selectively applied.”
Highlighting the hardships faced by LGBTQ+ seniors, the Democrat emphasized, “It does not apply to my bodily autonomy. It is not applied to intellectual freedom for our women, African-Americans, or LGBTQ siblings when it comes to our books, and it does not apply to the freedom to love who you love.”
“The Pryde… would meet a critical need in my district at a time when mortgages are skyrocketing, and one-third of LGBTQ seniors are living in poverty,” Pressley stated, shedding light on the economic struggles within her constituency.
Pressley, vice chair of the Task Force on Aging and Housing, argued against the bill’s implications.
“Republicans are choosing homophobia over housing, profits over people, cruelty over compassion,” she said.
Pressley further criticized the Republican action as a display of contempt, connecting the denial of funds to broader societal issues.
“This act of policy violence contributes to the physical violence that far too many LGBTQ folks experience,” she said.
Read the complete Advocate story here.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
