Biden's LGBTQ agenda

BY MARK SEGAL, PGN

As a journalist covering LGBT issues, this will be the eighth presidential transition I’ve witnessed, from the Carter Administration to the Biden Administration. Of those eight presidents-elect, no one has reached into the LGBT community as Biden has, and no one has made so many promises.

While Biden has a strong record on LGBT issues, some had suggested his promises were just campaign talk, as so many elected officials are apt to do. But he has quickly proven those people wrong. He has already backed up his words with action.

Even before Biden/Harris took the oath of office and walked in the White House, they have fulfilled several of their promises to the LGBT community.

They promised that their administration would look like America and would include the LGBT community, particularly the trans community. The incoming Biden administration has already delivered more LGBT appointments to high level administration positions than any other in U.S. history, including Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary, who will become the first LGBT cabinet member confirmed by the Senate, Karine Jean-Pierre as Principal Deputy White House press secretary, Pili Tobar as deputy White House communications director, and Gautam Raghavan Deputy Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.

But it with his announcement that Pennsylvania’s Dr. Rachel Levine was appointed Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, the highest ever trans appointment to the U.S. Government. Dr. Levine has been stellar in keeping Pennsylvanians safe and informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will be a great addition to the Biden administration. Her appointment stands in stark difference to the Trump- Pence administration, which removed trans protections in healthcare among many other anti-trans acts.

Knowing that the transition team is keeping details very close to their vest, I smiled when I was told to read the Q & A with then-candidate Biden that we did in PGN as well as his official position paper. Both contain too many things to complete in one day. But, as transition spokesperson Jamal Brown told me, “President-elect Biden is committed to advancing the most pro-equality agenda in history and his administration will begin implementing that vision on day one on key LGBTQ+ priorities.”

Step-by-step, change will come.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have already created LGBT history with their appointments. I have no doubt they will take action on the rest of their promises to the LGBT community. Their ambitious LGBT equality agenda will begin shortly after they take the oath of office. Of that, we can be 100% certain.