Thursday, October 12, 2023

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Welcome LGBTQ+ Groups' Endorsements

Trudy Ring
THE ADVOCATE
Tue, October 10, 2023 


President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have welcomed the endorsement of their reelection campaign by three major national LGBTQ+ rights groups.

Biden and Harris have been endorsed by Equality PAC, the National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund, and the Human Rights Campaign’s political action committee, the groups announced Tuesday.

“Next year’s election will determine whether LGBTQ+ Americans have more freedoms or less,” said a statement from Biden-Harris Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. “Across the country, MAGA Republicans are hell-bent on taking away LGBTQ+ Americans' hard-fought freedoms and are using our fellow Americans’ identities for political warfare. It’s shameful and not who we are as a country. The stakes of this election could not be higher for LGBTQ+ Americans, and President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to fighting for every American’s fundamental freedoms. We are deeply honored to earn this historic, unified endorsement from the nation’s leading LGBTQ+ groups. With their support, we will activate the more than 60 million equality voters nationwide to reelect President Biden and Vice President Harris, and equality legislators up and down the ballot.”

HRC announced its endorsement early Tuesday, and a joint announcement with Equality PAC and NCTE followed.

“The National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund is proud to announce its endorsement of President Joe Biden for a second term,” Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of the NCTE Action Fund, said in a press release. “Since taking office, President Biden has surpassed the efforts of all preceding administrations in his dedication to advancing the protections and rights of the transgender community. Without question, the Biden Administration has been the strongest advocate for the needs of transgender Americans of any presidential administration in American history."

Heng-Lehtinen added that Biden had focused significantly on the rights of trans Americans.

“We anticipate and look forward to further momentum for the advancement of transgender rights that could be accomplished in a second term, and toward a future where collaborative initiatives continue to thrive,” he said.

Related: 89 Images of Vice President Kamala Harris Behind the Scenes from The Advocate’s Exclusive

“Equality PAC is proud to stand with the most pro-equality Administration in the history of the United States — and we will do everything we can to help re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris next year,” said Equality PAC’s cochairs, Democratic U.S. Reps. Mark Takano of California and Ritchie Torres of New York. “Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have worked tirelessly to expand LGBTQ rights, protect our community, and advocate for passage of the Equality Act. The LGBTQ community is under seemingly constant attack from extremists that want to roll back history and take away the basic rights that we have fought for and won in recent years. It is critical that we elect strong allies into office at every level of our government, including the presidency and vice presidency — allies like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that will stand up for our community and speak out against injustice and hate. Make no mistake, LGBTQ rights are on the ballot in 2024 — and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the only candidates where we can put our faith, trust, and vote next year.”

“At a time when the forces of hatred seek to divide us by race, place, and identity the choice in this election is clear,” added HRC President Kelley Robinson. “LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency and the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration is needed now more than ever.”

Together, these groups represent 60 million Americans. They all have plans to mobilize pro-equality voters in the 2024 election.

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