|
|
Former Democratic leader Harry Reid dies at 82
2021-12-29
|
|
This article shared 2350 times since Wed Dec 29, 2021
|
|
Harry Reid, the former Democratic Senate leader who spearheaded epic legislative battles through three decades in Congress, has died at age 82 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer, according to media reports.
Reid rose from humble beginnings in Searchlight, Nevada, to become the most powerful politician in that state's history, capping his political career as the Democratic leader in the Senate, including eight years in the majority.
Tributes poured in regarding Reid.
President Joe Biden, who served with Reid in the Senate, called him one of "the all-time great Senate Majority Leaders in our history" in a statement. Former President Barack Obama released a letter he had written to Reid before his death in lieu of a statement. "I wouldn't have been president had it not been for your encouragement and support, and I wouldn't have got most of what I got done without your skill and determination," Obama wrote.
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois) issued a statement saying, "Harry Reid was a giant of the US Senate and the Democratic Party. Among many other historic achievements, he used his grit and determined leadership style to help shepherd the ACA through the Senate, changing the lives of millions of Americans for the better. Leader Reid's legacy will be felt in the Senate and across the country for decades to come." Congressman Jesus "Chuy" García (D-Illinois) said, "Senator Reid was a longtime advocate, and friend to the Latino community, and worked to champion immigration reform efforts including the Dream and Promise Act. … He had an incredible work ethic and an ability to pass meaningful and impactful legislation."
And Reid was also a champion for the LGBTQ+ community. Before he retired from Congress in 2016, then-Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin issued a statement saying, "During Senator Reid's term as majority leader, the Senate passed sweeping legislation that has fundamentally improved the lives of LGBT Americans and brought this nation closer to achieving its mission of liberty and justice for all. Without his courage and commitment to equality, Don't Ask, Don't Tell would still be on the books and LGBT people would lack key hate crimes and domestic violence protections. With two years left in his term, Senator Reid will continue to be a key ally as we fight for a new federal LGBT non-discrimination bill in this session of Congress." |
|
|
|
This article shared 2350 times since Wed Dec 29, 2021
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill 2024-03-27 On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margina landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...
|
| | Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event 2024-03-25 Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...
|
| | Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors 2024-03-24 On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...
|
| | Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama 2024-03-22 Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...
|
| | Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house 2024-03-22 --From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...
|
| | WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds 2024-03-21 It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...
|
| | NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist 2024-03-21 Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The billspassed out of both chambers along mostly party lineswill require clerks ...
|
| | LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats 2024-03-21 Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...
|
| | Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19 2024-03-20 Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...
|
| | Gay Irish prime minister to step down 2024-03-20 In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...
|
| | Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course 2024-03-18 Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...
|
| | NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools 2024-03-15 In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...
|
| | PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty 2024-03-14 Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...
|
| | PASSAGES Bryan Dean Wilson 2024-03-14 Bryan Dean Wilson, 64, of Chicago, passed away March 11. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bryan graduated from Washington High school in Cedar Rapids before earning his B.S. in Biology from Mount Mercy University, also in ...
|
| | PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13 LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...
| |
|
|