What Will Biden’s Win Mean for the LGBTQ+ Community in America?
Tags: LGBTQ, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Civil Rights, Election 2020

On November 3rd, America went to the polls to vote for their 46th President. The race was tight between the top two contenders Biden and Trump. A few days later, Mr. Biden became the President Elect and it was clear that America had spoken in favor of love and empathy. As many come to terms with Biden’s win, the LGBTQ+ community is eager to see if the new President will keep his promises to them.

During his campaign, Biden had promised to make the Equality Act one of his top priorities in his first 100 days in office. Biden, who is a big champion of LGBTQ+ rights, has spoken countlessly on how he is not only an ally but a true advocate for equality. His devotion to change was seen when he chose Kamala Harris as his running mate back in October.

Kamala Harris is a well-known ally of the LGBTQ+ community and has a good record when it comes to championing human rights. She has spoken on the violence against trans women of color and has called for serious consequences and accountability as a way to combat the epidemic of violence against trans women.

During her career as a Californian Attorney General, she refused to defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriages. Once the Supreme Court struck the proposition down, she was the first to officiate a same-sex wedding. She also blocked the “kill the gays” initiative which called for lawful killing of LGBTQ+ people. She also silently worked with the California Department of Corrections to change its policy regarding trans inmates’ surgeries. As a Senator, she advocated for the trans-people rights to use their bathroom of choice and co-sponsored the Equality Act.

Biden has his own strong record when it comes to being an LGBTQ+ ally. In May 2012, he became the highest ranking Democrat to endorse the same-sex marriage. As the Vice President during Obama’s eight years in office, he helped Obama to lead a diverse administration which championed for LGBTQ+ equality globally. He was one of the first to support trans rights and for the past eight years, he has made LGBTQ+ equality one of the pillars of his public service. It is clear that he is intent on ensuring everyone is protected against discrimination and hate crimes.

Now, America has two LGBTQ+ allies in the top positions of government. How exactly will this historic move help the LGBTQ+ community? Many pray that it means that the LGBTQ+ community will finally stop looking anxiously back, but rather confidently forward. Many hope that LGBTQ+ people and all marginalised Americans will now begin the journey to safety, equality and acceptance. They expect that Biden will get to work immediately to undo some of the negative policies that Trump’s administration passed in regard to the LGBTQ+ community. Biden stated from the onset of his campaign that he will build on the Obama-Biden successes and repair the damage wrought by the Trump-Pence Administration’s treatment of LGBTQ+ Americans, which signals a tolerance for abuses by other countries, and its utter failure to defend American diplomats who speak out for LGBTQ+ rights abroad.

Biden also spoke on nominating and appointing federal judges who will work to protect LGBTQ+ civil rights, reverse the transgender military ban, and direct resources to end the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color. He is also intent on passing the Equality Act and ensuring that no future president can ever again roll back civil rights and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, including when it comes to housing.

All this is great news for the LGBTQ+ community, which has suffered a lot in the past — especially during Trump’s administration. We hope that Biden will face little or no opposition when it comes to the new LGBTQ+ policies he intends to pass during his first 100 days in office. He and Kamala make a great team and their legacy as LGBTQ+ allies is one of the things that LGBTQ+ community across America will come to appreciate in the future. As Kamala said, their win is about more than them. It is about bringing America together and undoing the wrongs made in the past to create a haven for all.