The Congressional Equality Caucus, formerly the Congressional LGBTQ+ Caucus, was formed by openly gay representatives Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank on June 4, 2008, to advance LGBT+ rights.[1][2] The caucus is chaired by the most senior openly LGBTQI+ member of Congress and is co-chaired by the other openly-LGBTQI+ members of the United States House of Representatives; during the 119th Congress, the caucus is chaired by Representative Mark Takano and is co-chaired by representatives Mark Pocan, Angie Craig, Sharice Davids, Chris Pappas, Ritchie Torres, Becca Balint, Robert Garcia, Eric Sorensen, Julie Johnson, Sarah McBride, and Emily Randall (the other sitting LGBT members of Congress).[3]
At the beginning of the 119th Congress, the Congressional Equality Caucus is the largest caucus in the United States House of Representatives with 191 members, the most the caucus has ever started a Congress with. In the 118th Congress, the Equality Caucus had a peak membership of 195.
Members of the Equality Caucus have passed several notable pieces of legislation to expand or codify LGBTQI+ rights into federal law, including the Respect for Marriage Act (which was signed into law by President Biden in 2022) and the Equality Act (which passed the U.S. House in the 116th and 117th Congresses, but was never voted on in the Senate).
The mission of the caucus is to work for LGBTQI+ rights, the repeal of laws discriminatory against LGBTQI+ persons, the elimination of hate-motivated violence, and improved health and well-being for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.[4] The caucus serves as a resource for members of Congress, their staffs, and the public on LGBTQI+ issues.[4] Unlike the Congressional Black Caucus, famous for admitting only Black members, the Equality Caucus admits any member of Congress who is willing to advance LGBTQI+ rights, regardless of their sexual identity or orientation. Historically, the caucus is co-chaired by every openly-LGBTQI+ member of Congress.
In February 2016, caucus leadership formed the Equality PAC to support candidates running for federal office who are LGBTQI+ or seek to advance LGBTQI+ rights. On March 14, 2016, the board of the Equality PAC voted to endorse Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election.[5]
During the 114th United States Congress, the caucus formed the Transgender Equality Task Force (TETF) and the LGBTQ+ Aging Issues Task Force (now LGBTQI+ Aging Issues Task Force).
In the 119th Congress, the TETF is co-chaired by Pramila Jayapal and Sara Jacobs and is committed to pushing for legislative and administrative action to ensure that transgender people are treated equally and with dignity and respect.
The LGBTQI+ Aging Issues Task Force is chaired by Suzanne Bonamici in the 119th Congress and works to push for legislative and administrative action to protect the dignity and security of elderly LGBTQI+ people.[6]
The International LGBTQI+ Rights Task Force was established in the 119th Congress to "serve as a central organizing point in Congress for advancing the human rights of LGBTQI+ around the world, including by responding to efforts to criminalize LGBTQI+ identities" and is co-chaired by Robert Garcia, Julie Johnson, and Sarah McBride.
The below table summarizes the number of caucus members by party over a number of legislative sessions; the drop in membership numbers in the 114th congress was predominantly due to this being the first year that caucus members were charged fees for their membership ($400 per member, $2,100 per vice chair, $7,500 per co-chair):[7]
| Congress | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 111th | 90 | 1 | 91[8] |
| 112th | 101 | 3 | 104[9] |
| 113th | 112 | 2 | 114[10] |
| 114th | 55 | 0 | 55[11] |
| 115th | 113 | 2 | 115[12] |
| 116th | 164 | 1 | 165[13] |
| 117th | 175 | 0 | 175[14] |
| 118th | 195 | 0 | 195[15] |
| 119th | 191 | 0 | 195[16] |
The CEC has every openly-LGBTQI+ member as co-chairs. It was initially founded in 2008 under Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank, who both departed the House in 2013.[17] Jared Polis was then the most senior LGBT member, and his office served as host for its website and congressional staff support alongside lead sponsorship of its marquee bill (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) until his departure from the House in 2019.[18][19] These duties were taken up by David Cicilline, the lead sponsor of the Equality Act.[20] In 2021, Cicilline was being described as the lead chair among the co-chairs through the end of the 117th Congress in January 2021.[21] Mark Pocan was then formally named as chair for the 118th Congress, stating the caucus had moved to a rotating system where the most senior co-chair would formally become the lead chair for a congressional term.[22] Mark Takano, who now leads the Equality Act in the U.S. House, was then named as chair for the 119th Congress.[23]
| Start | End | Chair(s) | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2013 | Tammy Baldwin | WI-02 |
| Barney Frank | MA-04 | ||
| 2013 | 2019 | Jared Polis | CO-02 |
| 2019 | 2023 | Dave Cicilline | RI-01 |
| 2023 | 2025 | Mark Pocan | WI-02 |
| 2025 | present | Mark Takano | CA-39 |
