Topics in the News: Transgender
Vladimir Putin on Transgender:
(Families & Children Oct 22, 2021)
Monstrous to teach children that a boy can become a girl
Putin outlined his view of Russia's ideology as a counterbalance to what he derided as the "monstrous" forcing of transgenderism onto children."People who dare to say that men and women still exist as a biological fact are almost ostracized.
Not to mention the simply monstrous fact that children today are taught from a young age that a boy can easily become a girl and vice versa. Let's call a spade a spade: This simply verges on crimes against humanity under the banner of progress."
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Source: The Moscow Times on Foreign Influencers
Joe Biden on Transgender:
(Health Care May 10, 2021)
No transgendered discrimination by healthcare providers
PROMISE MADE: (JoeBiden.com campaign website): Trump has proposed to allow health care providers to discriminate based on a patient's gender identity. President Biden will defend the rights of all people--regardless of gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity--to have access to quality, affordable health care free from discrimination.PROMISE PARTLY KEPT: (NBC News, 5/10/21): The Biden administration is reversing a policy introduced that limited protections
for transgender people in health care. In a victory for LGBTQ advocates, the change will bar health care providers who receive federal funding from discriminating based on someone's gender identity or sexual orientation.
ANALYSIS:
If a transgendered person goes to an HMO that doesn't receive federal funding, it's still legal to discriminate against them for being transgendered--that's not "all people"! To address private HMOs would require state and federal legislation.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: NBC News on Biden Administration promises
Joe Biden on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Apr 28, 2021)
To all transgender Americans: your president has your back
I hope Congress will get to my desk the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ Americans.
To all transgender Americans watching at home, especially the young people, who are so brave, I want you to know your president has your back.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: 2021 State of the Union address
Joe Biden on Transgender:
(Homeland Security Mar 31, 2021)
Kept promise to allow transgendered to serve in military
PROMISE MADE: (CNN LGBT Town Hall, 10/10/19): If I were president, [transgendered people] would not have to choose [between their gender identity and serving their country]. The fact of the matter is transgender men and women should be
able to do anything anybody else can do. There should be no difference.PROMISE KEPT: (Military Times, 3/31/21):
The Pentagon swept away Trump-era policies that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military, issuing new rules that offer them wider access to medical care and assistance with gender transition.
The new department regulations allow transgender people who meet military standards to enlist and serve openly in their self-identified gender, and they will be able to get medically necessary transition-related care authorized by law.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: Military Times on Biden Administration promises
Donald Trump on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Feb 28, 2021)
Transgender protections destroying women's sports
Joe Biden and the Democrats are even pushing policies that would destroy women's sports. Now young girls and women are in sets that they are now being forced to compete against those who are biological males. It's not good for women.
The records that stood for years, even decades are now being smashed. If this is not changed women's sports as we know it will die.
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Source: Remarks by Pres. Trump at the 2021 CPAC Conference
Joe Biden on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Feb 4, 2021)
Reverse ban on transgender individuals serving in military
To further repair our moral leadership, I'm issuing a presidential memo to agencies to reinvigorate our leadership on the LGBTQI issues and do it internationally. You know, we'll ensure diplomacy and foreign assistance are working to promote the rights
of those individuals, included by combatting criminalization and protecting LGBTQ refugees and asylum-seekers.And finally, to successfully reassert our diplomacy and keep Americans safe, prosperous, and free, we must restore the health and morale of
our foreign policy institutions.
The United States will again lead not just by the example of our power but the power of our example. Within hours of taking office,
I signed an executive order overturning the hateful, discriminatory Muslim ban; reversed the ban on transgender individuals serving in our military.
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Source: Manchester Ink Link on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race
Xavier Becerra on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Dec 16, 2020)
Protect transgender students and adults
Attorney General Becerra is committed to protecting the rights of all people. Recognizing that discrimination has no place in our society,
Attorney General Becerra is fighting to protect transgender students and adults across the nation, and strictly enforcing the recently enacted California law that prohibits state-funded travel to states that discriminate against LGBTQ communities.
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Source: California Attorney General website: Press Release
Joe Biden on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Oct 15, 2020)
Son Beau got transgendered bill passed in Delaware
There should be zero discrimination. What's happening is too many transgender women of color are being murdered. They're being murdered. My son Beau, who passed away, was the attorney general of the state of Delaware.
He was the guy who got the first transgender law passed in the state of Delaware. And because of a young man who became a woman, who worked for him in the attorney general's office.
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Source: Second 2020 Presidential Debate/ABC Town Hall Philadelphia
Donald Trump on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Jun 15, 2020)
Job discrimination rules don't apply to transgender status
The Supreme Court ruled that existing federal law forbids job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status, a major victory for advocates of gay rights and for the nascent transgender rights movement.By a vote of 6-3, the
court said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status.
The Trump administration had urged the
court to rule that Title VII does not cover cases like these, in a reversal from the position the government took during the Obama administration. "The ordinary meaning of 'sex' is biologically male or female; it does not include sexual orientation,"
the Justice Department said. "An employer who discriminates against employees in same-sex relationships thus does not violate Title VII as long as it treats men in same-sex relationships the same as women in same-sex relationships."
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: NBC News on BOSTOCK v. CLAYTON COUNTY, GEORGIA
Joe Biden on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Jun 15, 2020)
No job discrimination for transgender status
The Supreme Court ruled that existing federal law forbids job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status, a major victory for advocates of gay rights and for the nascent transgender rights movement.By a vote of 6-3, the
court said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status.
Joe Biden called the ruling "a momentous
step forward for our country" in a statement, adding that the court had "confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity, that everyone should be able to live openly, proudly, as their
true selves without fear."
The Trump administration had urged the court to rule that Title VII does not cover cases like these, in a reversal from the position the government took during the Obama administration.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: NBC News on BOSTOCK v. CLAYTON COUNTY, GEORGIA
Mike Bloomberg on Transgender:
(Homeland Security Jan 20, 2020)
Reverse ban on transgender people serving in the military
Mike will reverse President Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military and grant an honorable
discharge to servicemembers who were forced out under the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.
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Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeBloomberg.com
Elizabeth Warren on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Dec 19, 2019)
Trans-gender community has been marginalized
Q: At least 22 transgender people were killed in the United States this year. Each of you have said you would push for the passage of the Equality Act, a comprehensive LGBTQ Civil Rights Bill. But if elected, what more would you do to stop violence
against transgender people?Warren: The transgender community has been marginalized in every way possible. And one thing that the president of the United States can do is lift up attention, lift up their voices, lift up their lives. Here's a promise
I made: I will go to the Rose Garden once every year to read the names of transgender women of people of color who have been killed in the past year. I will make sure that we read their names so that as a nation we are forced to address the particular
vulnerability. I will change the rules now that put people in prison based on their birth sex identification rather than their current identification. I will do everything I can to make sure that we are in America that leaves no one behind.
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Source: Newshour/Politico/PBS December Democratic primary debate
Kamala Harris on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Oct 10, 2019)
Protect those who are more vulnerable to hate
Q: How will you ensure that all transgender citizens are protected and treated equally?HARRIS: I will put resources into ensuring that all people are safe, with a particular understanding of some of the most vulnerable communities.
We know certain populations are more vulnerable to hate based on other people's prejudice and racism and hateful thoughts. And we as a society must acknowledge the truth of that and then make sure that we create safe communities in which they can exist.
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Source: CNN LGBT Town Hall 2020
Joe Biden on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Oct 10, 2019)
Yes to transgender in military and right to do as others do
Q: I served over ten years in the military, and after that, I was forced to make a difficult decisions and that was to choose between serving my country and my identity as a transgender woman. What will you do to support the estimated 15,000 troops
putting their lives on the line? BIDEN: If I were president, you would not have to choose. The fact of the matter is transgender men and women should be able to do anything anybody else can do. There should be no difference.
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Source: CNN LGBT Town Hall 2020
Tom Steyer on Transgender:
(Crime Oct 10, 2019)
Transgendered hate crimes: unequivocally prosecute severely
Q: I started an advocacy organization for black transgender men like myself. Nineteen black transgender women were killed in the U.S. this year, largely due to a lack of protections and an extreme lack of prosecutions. What will you do to ensure that
the judicial system prioritizes penalizing crimes against transgender citizens as hate crimes?STEYER: There are citizens in our society who are being targeted for murder as a result of who they are. This is a straightforward attack on humanity
itself to kill somebody for who they are. That has got to be the definition of a hate crime. We have got to prosecute those as severely as possible, as a symbol of who we are, a symbol of the thing that we won't put up with. And every
prosecutor has got to know that, that this is something that goes to the heart of American equality and justice. And that's got to be straightforward, unequivocal, not a 99 percent rule, a 100 percent rule.
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Source: CNN LGBT Town Hall 2020
Bill Weld on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Sep 24, 2019)
Created Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth
On LGBTQ rights:- Weld supported an amicus brief that petitioned to overturn California's law that outlawed same-sex marriage.
- Weld created the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth.
- He was supportive of allowing transgender
individuals access to bathrooms of their choice.
- GLAAD's CEO said: "Gov. Weld represents what is needed & has been missing within the Republican Party: a campaign message about acceptance for all marginalized communities, including LGBTQ people."
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Source: Business Insider background for 2019 GOP presidential debate
Joe Walsh on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Sep 24, 2019)
LGBTQ activists are "constitutional terrorists"
On LGBTQ rights:- Walsh said he is a strong supporter of " traditional marriage" and believes "a marriage can only exist between one man & one woman."
- While in Congress, Walsh voted to prevent federal funds from being used in ways that would
counteract the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
- Walsh has called LGBTQ activists "constitutional terrorists" and once said that a "transgender 'man' is a woman."
- He also said Christian vendors should be allowed to turn away LGBTQ customers.
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Source: Business Insider background for 2019 GOP presidential debate
Joe Walsh on Transgender:
(Homeland Security Sep 24, 2019)
Supports military service for gays and transgendered
[On LGBT rights]: I use the power of my public profile to go at the issue and talk about the issue and try to find common ground on the issue. I'm a big supporter of anybody--gay, lesbian, straight, or transgender--serving in the military.
This is one of those issues though where when you've got strong minded people on one side or another side pushing it too hard for the
American people, instead of trying to find an area of compromise--for instance, being able to use whatever washroom facilities or shower facilities according to the sex that you identify as. Fine. People in America should have that freedom to be
able to do that. But we've got to think about the people sitting in high school situations--students, 17 and 18 year olds--who may be uncomfortable with that. So it's finding the common ground.
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Source: Business Insider 2019 GOP presidential primary debate
Joe Sestak on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Jul 16, 2019)
Military should welcome transgendered "with open arms"
Sestak's campaign website says that if any transgender Americans "are called to join and serve in the military, we should welcome them with open
arms--and a customary salute--not a cold shoulder."
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Source: PBS News Hour on 2020 Democratic primary
Justin Amash on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Jun 18, 2019)
Allow transgender people in the military
The House delivered a stinging rebuke to President Trump's transgender military ban, adopting an amendment that would bar the use of U.S. funds to pay for the policy. The vote on the amendment, introduced by Reps. Anthony Brown (D-MD) and Jackie Speier
(D-CA), was 243-183 and largely along party lines. The amendment passed with bipartisan support. Nine Republicans--including Rep. Justin Amash--voted "yes" on the measure.[Voting yes would overturn the Trump Administration's ban on military service
by people with gender dysphoria; voting no would maintain the ban on transgendered military service.]
Before April, transgender people could enlist and serve openly in the military thanks to a policy change during the Obama administration.
But under the new Trump administration policy, a diagnosis of gender dysphoria disqualifies potential enlistees, and a diagnosis of gender dysphoria--with the exception of transgender people already serving in the armed forces--is cause for discharge.
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Source: Washington Blade on 2018 Congressional MI-3 election
Kamala Harris on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Apr 22, 2019)
Ally of LGBTQ community; must end discrimination
I have been an ally of the LGBTQ community. We must have a country that agrees that no group should be treated without equality under the law. On day one would pass the Equality Act to make sure that we give LGBTQ people equal rights under the law.
On the issue of transgender rights, we have a president who wants to kick them out of the military because they are transgender. It is absolutely unconscionable. And that is something I would reverse immediately when I am elected president.
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Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: 5 candidates back-to-back
Mike Gravel on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Apr 9, 2019)
Include sexual orientation & gender identity as civil rights
America has a woeful legacy surrounding its treatment of LGBTQIA+ people. And yet they have shown remarkable perseverance, fighting back relentlessly. It is time for full equality for all of America's LGBTQIA+ people, with a special focus on transgender
rights.The United States should amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination due to sexual orientation and/or gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, and credit.
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Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com
Mike Gravel on Transgender:
(Crime Apr 9, 2019)
Decriminalize all commercial sex work
Despite cultural changes, the U.S. government has maintained a puritanical approach to commercial sex work. Many Americans have come to see this work without the blinkered moralistic view of yesteryear; and they have come to recognize commercial
sex workers as one of society's most vulnerable communities. Women of color, of migrant backgrounds, and transgender women often rely on sex work for money. It is time to take a more rational approach.The United States should: -
Repeal the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) and the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), which targeted sites like Backpage.com that sex workers used to screen clients and ensure safety.
-
Encourage states and municipalities to decriminalize all commercial sex work.
- Focus on illegal and coercive sex trafficking, not consenting sex work.
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Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com
Marianne Williamson on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Apr 8, 2019)
Expand LGBTQ rights to end discrimination
Our Declaration of Independence holds that the inalienable rights of, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," are endowed to ALL humans by their creator at birth. In 2015, marriage equality became the law of the land, yet there is still no
federal law explicitly protecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities from discrimination. These communities, therefore, do not enjoy the full breadth of freedoms that this country espouses to guarantee to each
and every citizen.This is not only unacceptable; this is in direct violation of our founding principles.
Generation after generation, people have fought to rid our country of the "except for's." "Except for blacks," "except for women," and
so forth. Today, we are challenged by the ongoing prejudice that seeks to repudiate the fundamental American dedication to freedom and equality for all. "Except for them" is a stain on our national character.
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Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Marianne2020.com
Bill De Blasio on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Mar 26, 2019)
Added third gender to NYC birth certificates
Mayor Bill De Blasio has one of the most progressive views on LGBTQ rights of any other presidential candidate. In 2018, for example, he signed legislation that added a third gender to New York City birth certificates. Under the new law, transgender
and gender non-binary people are able to change their birth certificates more easily if born in the city.In 2017, he issued the first LGBTQ Health Care Bill of Rights, which ensured accessible health care for all LGBTQ people in New York.
In 2016, the mayor issued an executive order that allowed transgender people to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that they best identify with.
Mayor De Blasio has also boycotted the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York for years since it always
excluded LGBTQ groups. Instead, he marched in the St. Pat's for All parade. He even boycotted Chick-Fil-A because of the company's homophobic philosophies.
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Source: Frank Olito, Insider.com, on 2019 Democratic primary
Beto O`Rourke on Transgender:
(Homeland Security Mar 14, 2019)
Military should welcome transgender recruits
- Discrimination based on sexual preference should be illegal. The military should welcome transgender recruits.
- O'Rourke would make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual preference,
and give same-sex married couples access to all the benefits of heterosexual couples.
- He opposes banning transgender people from the military.
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Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Bernie Sanders on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Feb 19, 2019)
1983: Approved "Gay Rights Day" in Burlington Vermont
On LGBTQ rights, Sanders has touted his early moves in support of the gay rights movement. In 1983, as mayor of Burlington, he approved a resolution declaring "Gay Rights Day;" in 1993, he opposed the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy; and in
2000 he supported gay civil unions in Vermont. He opposes President Donald Trump's push to ban transgender people from the military, and laws that would block transgender people from using the bathrooms of their choice.
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Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Donald Trump on Transgender:
(Homeland Security Feb 19, 2019)
Ban on transgender people serving openly in the US military
Trump, after being elected, also said he was "fine" with same-sex marriage. But since he took office, his administration has scaled back some workplace protections for gay people and has argued in court that a federal anti-discrimination law
doesn't protect gay employees. He has also announced a ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. military, which the Supreme Court last month said could be implemented even as lower-court challenges play out.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: Josh Lederman, NBC News, on 2019 Trump administration
Kirsten Gillibrand on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Feb 5, 2019)
State of the Union: protest transgender military service ban
The most important political issues of the past year will be on display, not only in what President Trump says in his State of the Union address, but in who will be in the audience.
Lawmakers, along with the president and first lady, pick guests every year to highlight or protest the policies of an administration.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Chris Pappas are bringing guests to protest the transgender military service ban. Gillibrand is bringing Lt. Commander Blake Dremann, the first openly transgender service member to be promoted, and Pappas is bringing
Tavion Dignard, a transgender man and retired Navy veteran. "Denying transgender Americans their right to serve this country is a disgrace," Pappas said, "They deserve equal treatment by their government and the law."
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Source: KUOW 94.9 FM (NPR) on 2019 State of the Union
Pete Buttigieg on Transgender:
(Health Care Feb 5, 2019)
Gender reassignment surgery is part of health care
Q: Should transgender people in prison have access to gender reassignment surgery?BUTTIGIEG: Yeah. I believe that's part of health care. We provide health care to people who are incarcerated. The bigger issue is that too many people are incarcerated.
We need to treat everybody the same, if you regard this as part of health care. People try to turn others against this around the issue of cost, but the spectacular costs of incarceration have very little to do with things like gender reassignment.
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Source: Washington Blade on 2020 Democratic primary
Cory Booker on Transgender:
(Homeland Security Feb 1, 2019)
Transgender troops should be allowed to serve
- In the Senate, Booker pushed for marriage equality and cheered the 2015 Supreme Court decision making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
- As mayor of Newark, he refused to officiate any weddings until same-sex marriage was legal;
in his final weeks as mayor, he married seven LGBT couples once the state legalized it.
- One of the first bills Booker co-sponsored in the Senate was the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibited workplace discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Booker has said his support for the LGBT community has evolved over time.
- In a column he wrote for
Stanford University's newspaper in 1992, Booker said that he once "hated gays."
- Booker has also said the president's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the military "undermines our national security."
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Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Stacey Abrams on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Jan 31, 2019)
Upholding military transgender ban is an abomination
Q: Supreme Court voted to temporarily uphold the trans ban in the military. Your thoughts?ABRAMS: I think it's an abomination. These are men and women who have protected our country for the last few years, since President Obama opened up the
military. What the conservative bloc of the Supreme Court has done is said that they are willing to put us in harm's way to suborn discrimination and bigotry coming from the White House. There is no rational purpose for this. There is no rational need.
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Source: Democracy Now on 2020 Georgia Gubernatorial race
Kamala Harris on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Jan 21, 2019)
Let transgender people access the bathroom of their choice
- Same-sex marriage should be legal. Transgender people should use the bathroom of their choice. States need not necessarily pay for sexual reassignment surgery.
- On gay rights, Harris refused to defend California's law banning same-sex marriage while she was attorney general.
-
She believes same-sex marriage should be legal and filed a court brief supporting transgender people's position that they should have access to the bathroom of their choice.
-
She does not support states necessarily paying for gender reassignment surgery of transgender inmates, and once filed a court motion seeking to block the procedure in California.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Kirsten Gillibrand on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Jan 16, 2019)
End the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy
- Gay, lesbian and transgender Americans should be allowed to serve in the military and marry whomever they chose.
- Gillibrand pushed to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that required members of the military who identified as
gay or lesbian to keep their sexual preferences secret.
- She supported same-sex marriage before it was legalized.
- More recently, she opposed the Trump administration's attempt to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military.
Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Tulsi Gabbard on Transgender:
(Homeland Security Jan 14, 2019)
Allow transgender Americans in the military
- Gabbard supports the legal status of same-sex marriage, opposes attempts to bar transgender Americans from the military and supports laws to ban discrimination based on sexual preference.
- Gabbard has changed her position. In 2004,
she opposed a bill allowing civil unions for same-sex couples in Hawaii.
- Hawaii's LGBT caucus withheld their endorsement from her in 2016. She has said that her time in Iraq sparked soul-searching and led to changes in her beliefs.
Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
John Kasich on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Dec 3, 2018)
Strongly opposed "bathroom bills" against transgender people
Kasich has railed against right-wing efforts to bar transgender people from using the public bathrooms of their choice--when
North Carolina enacted its '16 law, Kasich said, "What the hell are we doing in this country?"
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Source: The Atlantic, "Place in GOP," on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Julian Castro on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Oct 16, 2018)
Chicano; Jewish; gay: common thread is marginalization
Growing up, Joaquin and I were essentially immersed in Chicana activism. At Stanford, I thought about how relatively unknown, even invisible, the Chicano community was to the vast majority of Americans. I wasn't keenly aware of the discrimination others
experienced. There were few Jewish, Native American, gay, or transgender people in my childhood circle.I would not be surprised if other students heavily submerged in other ethnic cultures encountered the same sense of marginalization.
[For a Stanford course, I read] "Imagining the Holocaust": the horrific account of what happened to Jews during World War II. At Stanford I was forced to pull back from my tight community and understand how a common thread ran through so many other
cultures around the world where people had to fight for their rights. When one of these groups achieved a victory against discrimination, I felt like "we" had won.
Click for Julian Castro on other issues.
Source: An Unlikely Journey, by Julian Castro, p.111-3
Nikki Haley on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Aug 3, 2017)
No need for any new transgender bathroom law
Catherine Templeton was asked if she would "stand up for the Lord's word," as in a theocracy, and back a law banning transgender people from using bathrooms matching their gender identity, or if she would "buckle like North Carolina."
Setting aside for the moment that North Carolina's HB2 compromise, HB142, is just more of the same anti-LGBTQ hatred with a slightly different name, it is important to note that South Carolina has so far killed any effort to see a similar bill come
to pass in South Carolina.
Both former Governor Nikki Haley and current Governor Henry McMaster have said there is no need for such a law.
Templeton said she thinks transgender people should use the bathrooms matching their birth gender, not their identity. She stopped short of calling for a law to be passed.
Click for Nikki Haley on other issues.
Source: LGBTQNation.com on South Carolina voting record NC-HB142
Susan Rice on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Oct 27, 2016)
Under Obama LGBT employees treated same as co-workers
"When I started in government in the '90s, an openly gay ambassador was almost inconceivable. You couldn't even get a security clearance if you were LGBT," Rice said. "Under President Obama, LGBT federal employees and their families now
enjoy the same benefits as their coworkers," she added. Rice also noted that transgender people can now obtain passports that accurately list their gender identity and serve openly in the military.
Click for Susan Rice on other issues.
Source: NBC News on Obama Cabinet
Mike Pence on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Sep 19, 2016)
RFRA Fix: ensure that religious freedom doesn't discriminate
Pence made national headlines in early 2015 when he signed into law the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act," which limited the legal actions that could be taken against an individual or business for asserting their religious beliefs.The law sparked
widespread outrage. Opponents contended that it would give license to religious conservatives to refuse service to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. In response, several major events and corporations--including Salesforce.com
and the NCAA--threatened to limit business ventures in the state or boycott it altogether.
Pence adamantly defended the RFRA legislation and refused to say whether it allowed for discrimination, which led to extensive questioning of his underlying
motives. So much so that he quietly signed a subsequent piece of legislation--dubbed the "RFRA Fix"--that clarified that the law did not allow businesses to discriminate based on a customer's sexual orientation or gender identity.
Click for Mike Pence on other issues.
Source: Rollcall.com on 2016 vice-presidential hopefuls
Mike Pence on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Sep 24, 2015)
Religious Freedom Act is not about LGBT discrimination
The most hot-button issue of all during the 2015 General Assembly, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, was signed in March. Proponents of the bill said it was designed to keep local and state laws from "substantially burdening" the deeply-held
religious principles of individuals, businesses or religious institutions. Those against the bill felt it opened a Pandora's box for discrimination against minorities, especially the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) community.
"This bill is not about discrimination, and if I thought it legalized discrimination in any way in Indiana, I would have vetoed it," Pence said at the time. "In fact, it does not even apply to disputes between private parties unless government
action is involved. For more than 20 years, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act has never undermined our nation's anti-discrimination laws, and it will not in Indiana."
Click for Mike Pence on other issues.
Source: Kokomo Tribune on Indiana Voting Records for bill SB101
Elizabeth Warren on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Apr 22, 2014)
Build future for ALL our kids, including transgendered
[At one campaign event, I talked about] building a future for all our kids. A man in his 60s came over to me. He was thin, with the leathery skin of someone who had worked outside for many years. He wore a frayed Vietnam vet's cap. He didn't smile,
and his voice was flat. I looked for clues--maybe a little hostile? I wasn't sure. "Yeah, you talk about building a future," he said. "But what about transgender?" Now he looked full-on angry.Wow. That seemed to fall out of the sky. I felt the
instinctive need to crouch. I said just as flatly: "We build a future for all our children. And that means transgender children. ALL our children--no exceptions."
He held my gaze for a moment and then said: "Damn right." He went on to explain that he
had a grown son who was transgender. "In a million years you'll never know the special kind of hell he has gone though. I want somebody who fights and doesn't back off."
I relaxed. A future for all our kids, every one. THIS was a fight I was ready for.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: A Fighting Chance, by Elizabeth Warren, p.229
Bill de Blasio on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Oct 22, 2013)
Co-sponsored the Gender Based Discrimination Protection law
Ending Discrimination and Recognizing All Relationships: While on the City Council, Bill de Blasio co-sponsored the Gender Based Discrimination Protection law--one of the first laws in the nation to prevent discrimination against transgender New Yorkers.
He also co-sponsored the Domestic Partnership Recognition law, an important precursor to full marriage equality that required New York City to recognize same-sex marriages from other states
Click for Bill de Blasio on other issues.
Source: 2013 Mayoral campaign website, www.billdeblasio.com
Justin Amash on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Mar 29, 2013)
Repeal DOMA: Government shouldn't be involved in marriage
Amash said that he supports repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, though he wouldn't commit to cosponsor legislation to do that. In an unexpected Twitter exchange with The Huffington Post, Amash, one of the more savvy members of Congress when it comes
to social media, began with a tweet stating that the "real threat" to traditional marriage isn't lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples, but government itself.This sparked a series of tweets with HuffPost about where he stands on repealing
DOMA. Amash emphasized that his support for repealing DOMA is tied to his belief that government shouldn't be involved in anyone's marriage. Amash's spokesman explained the congressman's libertarian-leaning position on the matter earlier this
week: "In his ideal world, the governments--at all levels all together--would get out of marriage. But as a federal legislator, he's in charge of shaping federal law and so he's willing to oppose the federal government's definition of marriage in DOMA."
Click for Justin Amash on other issues.
Source: Huffington Post, "Amash backs DOMA repeal on Twitter"
Eric Swalwell on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Nov 6, 2012)
Full LGBT equality, including freedom to marry
I support full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. This includes the freedom to marry and the freedom to openly serve in the US military.
I also support the repeal of the California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Click for Eric Swalwell on other issues.
Source: 2012 House campaign website, swalwellforcongress.com
Mike Gravel on Transgender:
(Civil Rights Aug 9, 2007)
Marriage preceded religion; it’s not a religious term
Stop and think. What is marriage? I resent religion saying that it’s a religious term. It’s not. Marriage preceded all forms of religion in civilization. Marriage is a commitment between two human beings in love. And understand me;
I’m saying two human beings. They can be heterosexual. They can be two lesbians. They can be transgender. They can be two gays. What it is, it’s a commitment of human beings in love. And if there’s anything we need in this world, it’s more love.
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.
Source: 2007 HRC/LOGO debate on gay issues
Page last updated: Mar 02, 2022
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