The Equality Act
Biden will provide moral leadership to champion equality for all LGBTQ Americans and fight to ensure our laws and institutions protect and enforce their rights. I have named the Equality Act as a top legislative priority. In the majority of states across the country, state law does not explicitly protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination. It’s wrong, and I will make the case for and pass the Equality Act so that LGBTQ individuals receive consistent protection from discrimination, including with respect to “employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.” I will also direct my Cabinet to ensure immediate and full enforcement of the Equality Act across all federal departments and agencies.
Biden has long fought for access to treatment for people with HIV/AIDS. Dating back to 1987, I voted to authorize critical funding for medication that prolonged life for people with AIDS. In 1990, I cosponsored the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which created the largest government program focused specifically on providing life-saving treatment and care to low-income, poor, and uninsured people living with HIV. In 2008, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I sponsored the reauthorization of the Global AIDS program (PEPFAR), which significantly expanded the funding and targets for treatment, care, and prevention of HIV/AIDS and repealed a statutory ban on visas for people who were HIV-positive.
As president, I will continue supporting LGBTQ health by defending the rights of all people, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, to have access to quality, affordable health care. I support ensuring that federal health plans provide coverage for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) — lifesaving, highly-effective HIV prevention medications. Fortunately, thanks to a recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Task Force (USPSTF), PrEP must be covered without cost-sharing starting in 2021. I will support further efforts to make PrEP and other HIV prevention medications accessible to high-risk populations. My administration will also actively oppose any cuts to federal budgets to programs that serve the LGBTQ community, including programs that assist Americans living with HIV and AIDS.
I will update and implement the Obama-Biden Administration’s comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, to reduce new HIV infections, increase access to care for those living with HIV, and reduce the disparities faced especially by gay and bisexual men and transgender women of color.
Biden in his own words: Under Donald Trump, hate crimes of all kinds have been rising. Nearly 20% of hate crimes are committed against LGBTQ people, and transgender women of color are especially targeted by these violent crimes. It’s intolerable. As president, I will combat the epidemic of violence against transgender women and transgender women of color.
We all have a duty to declare with conviction that hatred and bigotry have no place in America. As president, I’ll do all I can to tackle the deadly combination of sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and racism that is driving that violence. And, my administration will make prosecuting their murderers a priority.
During my first 100 days in office I will direct federal resources to help prevent violence against transgender women and transgender women of color. Recognizing that employment and housing discrimination lead to increased risk of homelessness and violence, I will also work to pass the Equality Act to reduce economic barriers and social stigma, and the LGBTQ Essential Data Act, which will help collect critical data about anti-trans violence and the factors that drive it. I will also direct my Administration to update the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports Supplementary Homicide Reports (UCR-SHR) to include sexual orientation and gender identity, which will improve our ability to fully diagnose and measure the extent of violent crimes against transgender, gay, lesbian, and bisexual victims.
Biden am very supportive of codifying into law Obama-Biden executive orders that protect LGBTQ civil rights. President Obama issued an executive order that prohibited discrimination against federal LGBTQ employees or those working for federal contractors. Passing the Equality Act will ensure that LGBTQ individuals receive civil rights protections in a number of settings, including in employment.
Biden in his own words: Democracy is the root of our society, the wellspring of our power, and the source of our renewal. It strengthens and amplifies our leadership to keep us safe in the world. It is the engine of our ingenuity that drives our economic prosperity. It is the heart of who we are and how we see the world—and how the world sees us. That is why America’s ability to be a force for progress in the world and to mobilize collective action starts at home. The United States must lead not just with the example of power, but the power of our example. Among my earliest actions as president will be to restore the Voting Rights Act.
I will also expand access to accurate identification documents. Transgender and non-binary people without accurate identification documents are often exposed to harassment and violence and denied employment, housing, critical public benefits, and even the right to vote. Recognizing the difficulties faced by many transgender individuals, the Obama-Biden State Department updated its gender change policies for passports. As president, I will build on this to ensure all transgender individuals have access to identity documents that accurately reflect their gender identity. I will work to end voter suppression laws, including strict voter ID laws that affect transgender individuals who have identification that doesn’t match their gender identity. I will also support state and federal efforts allowing transgender and gender nonconforming individuals to select “X” as a gender marker on their government-issued identifications, passports, and other documentation.
