; Whereas, on July 17, 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation is sex discrimination for purposes of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Whereas, on October 31, 2015, the Obama administration announced that it would approve the spouses of refugees who are approved for resettlement in the United States, including same-sex spouses who come from countries where legal unions are not possible; Whereas in the first 10 weeks of 2016, according to a Human Rights Campaign tally, more than 200 bills across 34 States were introduced that are considered anti-LGBTQ, and the threat to the civil liberties of LGBTQ people has increased on the State level since the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality; Whereas, on May 13, 2016, the Departments of Justice and Education released joint guidance to help provide educators the information they need to ensure that transgender students attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex; Whereas, on May 18, 2016, Eric Fanning was sworn in as Secretary of the Army, marking the first time a branch of the military was led by an openly gay person; Whereas, on June 30, 2016, the Department of Defense announced an immediate policy change allowing transgender service members to serve openly without fear of retribution; Whereas, on July 5, 2016, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, known as the National PTA, adopted a resolution on the Recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning as a protected class; Whereas, on July 28, 2016, Human Rights Campaign national press secretary Sarah McBride spoke at the Democratic National Convention, making her the first transgender person to address a major party convention; Whereas, on June 24, 2016, President Obama designated the first national monument to LGBTQ rights at the site of the Stonewall uprising; Whereas, on November 8, 2016, Kate Brown of Oregon became the first openly bisexual person to win a gubernatorial election