What is the context?
Prominent LGBTQ+ advocates have praised presidential candidate Kamala Harris for her record of supporting gay and transgender rights.
LGBTQ+ groups endorse Kamala Harris; Vice President praises her record on LGBTQ+ rights; Harris is expected to become the Democratic presidential nominee
LONDON – With US Vice President Kamala Harris set to officially become the Democratic presidential nominee, more than 1,100 prominent LGBTQ+ advocates voiced their support for her in an open letter this week.
Advocacy groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force have praised the former senator’s record of advancing the community’s rights.
Here’s what you need to know:
What about Harris’ record on LGBTQ+ rights?
Harris’ history of supporting LGBTQ+ rights stretches back at least two decades, to her time as San Francisco’s district attorney from 2004 to 2011.
During her time in that role, she officiated some of the first same-sex marriages in the United States, which were later invalidated by the California Supreme Court.
Governor Harris also established a specialized hate crimes unit to address anti-LGBTQ+ violence in schools.
Harris, who became California’s attorney general in 2014, spearheaded a push for the state to ban the “gay panic” and “trans panic” legal defenses, which argue that defendants become violent because they are shocked to learn someone is gay or transgender.
In 2015, she was criticized for refusing a request from a transgender female inmate for gender reassignment surgery, a decision she later said she took “full responsibility for” but that it contradicted her own beliefs.
She came under fire in 2018 for supporting legislation that sought to curb sex work nationwide, leading to the removal of a website that rights groups said was essential for transgender sex workers to operate safely.
As Senator Harris and vice president, she has supported the Equality Act, which aims to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination nationwide, a bill that has stalled since first being introduced in 2021.
She also supported the Respect Marriage Act, which will be passed in 2022 to ensure all states recognize same-sex marriage.
The Biden administration also launched a series of pro-LGBTQ+ policies and initiatives, including allowing non-binary markers on passports and improving mental health services for transgender youth.
How do Harris’ LGBTQ+ policies differ from those of Republican front-runner Donald Trump?
The Biden-Harris administration has been described as “the most pro-LGBTQ+ administration in history” by the Washington-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign.
Harris’ record as vice president may indicate she will seek to expand these rights.
Former President Trump has said he would undo many of the policy changes made to expand LGBTQ+ rights since his last term.
As vice president, Harris has repeatedly spoken out against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the US, including bans on gender-affirming medical treatment for young people and “don’t say gay” laws that ban discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
In contrast, President Trump said in March that he would cut funding to schools that promote “transgender insanity” or “other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content to children.”
He has also spoken out against gender-reassignment treatment for minors, calling it “child abuse,” and said health care workers who offer treatments such as puberty suppressants should not be allowed to work under Medicare.
Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, is opposed to same-sex marriage and has previously voted against the right to in vitro fertilization, a medical procedure often used by same-sex couples seeking to become parents.
How have LGBTQ+ groups responded?
More than 1,100 LGBTQ+ advocates signed an open letter this week in support of Harris’ presidential candidacy, describing her as a “champion for LGBTQ+ equality.”
Signatories include LGBTQ+ actors George Takei, Sophia Bush and Billy Eichner, as well as Jim Obergefell, whose Supreme Court case led to the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage.
Transgender Equality Advocates, a New York-based human rights group, also endorsed Harris, citing her record on transgender rights.
“A Harris Administration will not only maintain but expand the protections for transgender Americans established by the Biden Administration,” said Rodrigo Hen-Lehtinen, president of the Transgender Equality Advocacy Group.
(Reporting by Lucy Middleton; Editing by Sadiya Ansari)
