What Biden’s Victory Means For LGBTQI People

The results of the 2020 US Presidential election are in and Joe Biden, the Democrat candidate, has been victorious over incumbent President Donald Trump.

Throughout the last four years of Trump’s administration, there has been significant reversals made to the rights afforded to LGBTQI people.

In 2020, the Trump administration also finalised an administrative rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) to decrease health care discrimination protections for LGBTQI people.

A press release from the HSS stated that this ruling would mean that the “HHS will enforce Section 1557 by returning to the government’s interpretation of sex discrimination according to the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female as determined by biology.”

In addition to this, the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett has Supreme Court Justice has significantly stacked the Supreme Court in favour of Trump’s conservative views. Barrett is historically opposed to abortion, and has previously served on the board of three private Christian schools where the policies effectively barred the admission of students whose parents were in same-sex relationships.

 Joe Biden has promised to place priority on passing the Equality Act, which is a piece of LGBTQI rights legislation. This would be a landmark civil rights law that Biden hopes to sign within 100 days, according to Reuters. Biden has also promised to reverse the transgender military ban in addition to reversing the Department of Defence policies that ‘perpetuate stigmatisation of a discrimination against people living with HIV.” During his presidential campaign Biden has also promised to guarantee “transgender students have access to facilities based on their gender identity,” in addition to a number of other reforms for LGBTQI people.

In an interview with Philadelphia Gay News, Biden also pledged to expand queer rights internationally by endeavouring to make the US a centrepiece of democracy. 

“I’ll stand up to bullies and once more put human rights at the centre of America’s engagement with the world,” Biden stated.

The Equality Act aims to protect citizens of the United States from discrimination based on sexual identity and gender identity by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Biden has also promised to defend American diplomats who are advocating for LGBTQI rights in countries that are hostile towards LGBTQI people, in addition to ensuring that transgender people are protected under the US law.