Rep. Tim Walz is the newest member of the Minnesota Congressional delegation to join the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. The caucus “works toward the extension of equal rights, the repeal of discriminatory laws, the elimination of hate-motivated violence, and the improved health and well-being for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.”
On Tuesday, the caucus announced its membership for the 115th Congress. Rep. Walz was the only member from Minnesota to join the caucus for the 2017-2018 session.
Reps. Ellison and McCollum have been part of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus since its founding in 2008 with Ellison serving as a co-chair in 2011 and 2012. However, both have since left the caucus. Many members left the caucus in 2015 due to the caucus charging dues of $400. Before 2015, membership in the caucus was free.
The caucus is chaired by the six LGBT members of Congress: Jared Polis (CO-02), David N. Cicilline (RI-01), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), and Mark Takano (CA-41).
Vice-chairs include: Ted Deutch (FL-22), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Joseph P. Kennedy, III (MA-04), Dan Kildee (MI-05), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Ted W. Lieu (CA-33), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), and Adam B. Schiff (CA-28).
The Caucus’s general members are: Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Nanette Barragan (CA-44), Karen Bass (CA-37), Ami Bera (CA-07), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Robert A. Brady (PA-01), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), André Carson (IN-07), Matt Cartwright (PA-17), Judy Chu (CA-27), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Charlie Crist (FL-13), Joseph Crowley (NY-14), Carlos Curbelo (FL-26), Susan A. Davis (CA-53), Diana DeGette (CO-01), John K. Delaney (MD-06), Suzan K. DelBene (WA-01), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Eliot L. Engel (NY-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Elizabeth H. Esty (CT-05), Bill Foster (IL-11), Lois Frankel (FL-21), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Al Green (TX-09), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Luis V. Gutiérrez (IL-04), Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01), Denny Heck (WA-10), Brian Higgins (NY-26), James A. Himes (CT-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), William R. Keating (MA-09), Ruben J. Kihuen (NV-04), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Ann M. Kuster (NH-02), Jim Langevin (RI-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Donald McEachin (VA-04), Grace Meng (NY-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Scott Peters (CA-52), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Kathleen Rice (NY-04), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Bradley S. Schneider (IL-10), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), José E. Serrano (NY-15), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Brad Sherman (CA-30), Louise McIntosh Slaughter (NY-25), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Dina Titus (NV-01), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Marc A. Veasey (TX-33), Tim Walz (MN-01), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Peter Welch (VT-00), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24).