Joe Biden, who made the promotion of a pro-diversity agenda a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, is being urged to enact a sweeping list of changes for gay and transgender people, including allowing HIV-positive applicants into the military, the promotion of the drug PrEP, and the release of transgender illegal immigrants.
In its list of 85 points, the Human Rights Campaign, influential in Democratic Party politics, said that Biden could move quickly because some simply require reversing Trump-era rulings.
The “Blueprint for Positive Change 2020” also said that the community has faced centuries of discrimination and that former President Barack Obama’s lead should be followed by his former vice president.
“The Biden administration must unravel these harmful regulations across Departments, reinstitute the strong protections championed by President Obama, and put the U.S. back on the path toward equality for all LGBTQ people,” read the document.
“The Biden-Harris administration has the opportunity to not only put our democracy back on track but deliver real positive change for LGBTQ people’s daily lives,” said Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David in presenting the list.
Many of the points will be cheered by the gay and transgender community and liberal activists while being jeered by socially conservative critics and some in the Trump team. Among those moves are:
- Nominating many gay and transgender judges.
- Clearing the way for more to give blood.
- Releasing transgender illegal immigrants.
- Making available information about the drug PrEP, used as an oral prophylactic for sex and drugs.
- Expanding beyond “male” and “female” choices on government documents, such as passports.
HRC has laid out a roadmap to working with the Biden-Harris administration and ensuring we move equality forward by advancing policies to improve the lives of millions of LGBTQ Americans. Take a look. ⤵️ https://t.co/5N1CRkerjO
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 11, 2020
The report summed up much of the HRC agenda this way:
“We urge the administration to end taxpayer-funded discrimination once and for all and to rescind Trump-backed policies that invite discrimination against LGBTQ people by federally funded grantees and contractors. We call on the federal government to take real, tangible steps to ensure that every patient receiving care through a federally funded health program has access to the respectful, comprehensive care to which they are entitled, including PrEP and transition-related care, and we urge the administration to focus on solutions to finally achieve an AIDS-free generation. Stigma and violence against our community — especially transgender women of color — must be systematically addressed. We also recognize that it is crucial that the United States remain a safe harbor where LGBTQ people can escape persecution abroad.”
Of course, it assails Trump, who was the first Republican to discuss gay and transgender causes he supported during his 2016 Republican National Convention speech and who appointed the first openly gay ambassador, Richard Grenell, who later served briefly on the president’s Cabinet as an acting intelligence chief.
The administration also promoted several gay people but never won any credit from liberal gay groups.
The gay left does not want you to know these facts:https://t.co/z7hHe3hfbp
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 1, 2020
