Robert Garcia

Robert Garcia represents California’s 42nd Congressional District, which includes Long Beach and southeast Los Angeles, in the U.S. House of Representatives. As career educator and former two-term mayor of Long Beach, the congressman places a large focus on improving the educational system so that all children have a real shot at achieving their dreams.

“We are at a pivotal time in our nation’s history where truth and facts are being attacked by extremists every day,” he says. “I am committed to fighting and pushing back on lies and conspiracy theories while focusing on delivering results for working Americans. Congress should be an institution that actually helps people and improves Americans’ lives.”

At a time when queer people are constantly under attack by conservative pundits and politicians, Rep. Garcia is hyper-aware of his position as the first LGBTQ+ immigrant to serve in Congress. He continues to not only fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being passed across the country, but also to push for federal protections for all members of our community.

“I believe our government has a responsibility to protect the LGBTQ+ community — especially transgender and nonbinary Americans — and defend the important progress we’ve made on issues like marriage equality. We are here, and we will not be ignored. We will not stop fighting until we enshrine anti-discrimination protections into federal law and ensure the civil rights of everyone in our country are respected.”

Rep. Garcia’s work in the House of Representatives also includes his position as president of the House Democratic freshman class in Congress. “We have such an amazing class,” he explains. “We’ve organized a trip to the White House to meet the president, we’ve done meet-and-greets with Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and that’s only the beginning of our work.” @robertgarcialb