Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) hosted her fourth Cafecito con Catherine meeting with LGBTQ congressional staff as part of her mentorship series. Senator Cortez Masto discussed challenges faced by women-identified, transgender, and gender non-binary staff in an effort to improve and help advance their career opportunities. Over the past ten months, Cortez Masto has held roundtables with Latina, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and African American women working in Congress.
“I firmly believe that Congress must represent the values and reflect the beautiful diversity of our country. It was a privilege to hear the perspectives of LGBTQ staffers as we celebrated the advances of LGBTQ Americans this LGBT history month. Since coming to the Senate and joining the Rules Committee, one of my primary areas of focus has been to make sure our congressional staff reflect the many backgrounds and identities of their states and our great country,” said Cortez Masto. “Diversity is not just a checkbox. It is a commitment. I intend to continue prioritizing diversity in hiring, encouraging my colleagues to embrace new viewpoints and perspectives, and ensuring that we all make greater efforts to have diverse staff in senior positions throughout the Senate. The intersectional perspectives, ideas, and shared stories of achievement and struggle that I heard today from our women-identified, transgender, and gender non-binary staff in the United States Congress will be shared with my colleagues. I look forward to working with these outspoken, thoughtful, and dedicated public servants on concrete solutions that promote and advance their success and break down barriers for LGBTQ staffers.”