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On his first day in office, just hours after his inauguration, President Joe Biden has signed 17 executive actions aimed at rolling back some of the changes brought in by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
This included what one leading advocate called the, “most substantive LGBT+ executive order in history.”
The order reinforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County last year) and ensures the federal government does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of sexual orientation or sexual identity.
“This Order will also direct agencies to take all lawful steps to make sure that federal anti-discrimination statutes that cover sex discrimination prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ persons,” said a press release from the Biden transition team.
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The order will be of particular relevance to any LGBTQ employed by federal agencies. The previous administration had made it harder for trans people to access some healthcare benefits, and even removed the words “sexual orientation” from its workplace discrimination manual.
It’s known that President Biden also wants to quickly reverse Trump’s order to ban trans people from the military, but this may take a little longer. Biden has also said he wants to try and introduce the Equality Act within his first 100 days in office. Although yesterday’s executive order was welcomed by LGBTQ advocates, it only applies to federal agencies, and further legislation is needed for its principles to be applied more widely.
Alphonso David, President, Human Right Campaign, said, “Biden’s Executive Order is the most substantive, wide-ranging executive order concerning sexual orientation and gender identity ever issued by a United States president.
“Today, millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their President and their government believe discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is not only intolerable but illegal … While detailed implementation across the federal government will take time, this Executive Order will begin to immediately change the lives of the millions of LGBTQ people seeking to be treated equally under the law.”
Sam Brinton, vice president of advocacy and government affairs with the Trevor Project, said in a press release, “It is a true breath of fresh air to see president Biden prioritize LGBT+ non-discrimination protections and inclusive data collection on day one, along with several other key policy changes that will protect marginalized communities.”
Sharon McGowan, Chief Strategy Officer and Legal Director for Lambda Legal said in a statement, “We applaud the Biden-Harris administration’s swift action in clarifying that LGBTQ people will be protected from discrimination wherever federal law prohibits discrimination because of sex.
“Today’s executive order sends a clear signal from the administration that starting on day one, they intend to return to the rule of law and are committed to enforcing the civil rights of LGBTQ people and we enthusiastically welcome it.”
Among the other executive orders and mandates Biden signed yesterday were ones relating to climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, addressing racial equity, and reversing the travel ban that largely impacted Muslim-majority countries. He also halted the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the construction of Trump’s border wall.
There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face. That’s why today, I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 20, 2021
“There’s no time to start like today,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office as he began signing orders. “I’m going to start by keeping the promises I made to the American people.”
Elsewhere, there were other immediate indications of change. The official White House website contact form now asks people to state their pronouns, and offers “they/them” and “other” alongside “he” and “she”. The page for the Vice President, Kamala Harris, also shows her attending a Pride festival in San Francisco – something unthinkable while Mike Pence was in office.
Related: The White House asks people to choose their pronouns now on website contact form
Cam
Waiting for the right wing troll with multiple screenames to either com on here to deflect from the topic, or to claim that Trump pushing anti-GBTQ discrimination is good for LGBTQ people and Biden getting rid of it, is evil.
Thank you President Biden!
And just because I know it pisses off Trump supporters, a reminder that Biden’s wife is Dr. Biden.
Sabelmann
Coffee,cake….waiting! 😉
WSnyder
We can Breathe again.
All the serious advances of our Community over the past two decades came to a jarring halt in 2016. And in many ways we lost ground under the Orange Narcissist-in-Chief between having protections for gender identity and sexual orientation removed from Federal oversight to the outright ban on Trans people in the U.S. Military. We still have to worry about how the Judicial system will work now that it’s shifted to the Right but we won’t have to worry that it won’t shift any further that way for a few years.
Frankly, the BEST news I’m reading this morning is the implosion of QAnon since their prophesy of Trump retaining power and the public executions of fictionalized ‘Satanic Democratic Child Rapists’ never occurred.
Now just waiting for the moronic Trolls to show up so I can have a few laughs. [I Don’t engage these fools with their insipid comments, it’s not worth my time, but they do give me some good chuckles with their display of vapid ideals and just simple stupidity]
Brian
A career lasts longer than 4 years, so this brief protection just isn’t enough. Obama offered protection, Trump took it away, Biden reinstalled it, but the next president could take it away again.
We’ve got to stop living by executive orders (and continuing resolutions). The solution would be a functioning Congress that passes laws (and a year-long budget), but that’s a tall order. We’ve got *maybe* 2 years of Democratic control — if there are zero absences, illnesses, or campaign events — and then Republicans will likely gain ground. I’m not confident in anyone’s ability to get substantial work accomplished.
Cam
2022 is bad year mapwise for the GOP in the Senate. They are defending way more seats, and many of them are in states where Trump lost.
rand503
And you can always count on the Log Cabin Republicans to support politicians who vote against gay rights.
Den
Thankfully, there are not enough Log Cabinettes to make difference in either primaries or general elections on the local, state or federal level. And in terms of an affect on policy or platform, the Republican party wants nothing to do with them.
Essentially their only function is to provide laughs for thinking gay people.
Invader7
It’s a start. The Dems NEED to pass LASTING FEDERAL protection LAWS !!! And end the 2nd class mistreatment we get form the GOP !!!
Kangol2
Yes. After Obama’s and Biden’s executive orders and the Supreme Court ruling last summer (written by conservative Neil Gorsuch), it’s clear that we still need a bill like Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which the late Teddy Kennedy backed and which passed the US Senate 64-32 in 2013, only to die in the GOP-led House (under Boehner), to prevent workplace discrimination at the very least, and a comprehensive federal bill banning discrimination in housing, adoption, etc., that mirrors the best state and local laws banning discrimination of any kind based on LGBTQ status.
Tombear
The Biden/Harris team will be wonderful for the LGBTQ community!
Kangol2
Better to have friends, allies and advocates in power than people who are indifferent to outright malevolent, so on this score, I’m glad Biden and Harris are now the new President and VP, and that Democrats control both the Senate and House. The three newest Democratic Senators (Ossoff, Padilla and Rev. Dr. Warnock) are all LGBTQ advocates too.
rand503
Waiting for a statement from the Log Cabiners.
Liquid Silver
Yesterday was like a weird release of tension.
CurtisIsTheOne
I think the right wing trolls have been [temporarily] silenced. They’ll weigh in eventually.
hansniemeijer
I AM relieved.