What Have the Biden-Harris Administration and Dems Done?

• • Passed the Equality Act in the House. This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation and would expressly add LGBTQIA+ people to the Civil Rights Act. (Blocked by Senate Republicans.)
  • Passed the Respect for Marriage Act in the House. This bill establishes that marriages performed in one state must be recognized in all states and codifies same-sex marriages for the purpose of benefits under federal law.
  • Provided mental health resources for transgender youth. Transgender youth often experience significant barriers to accessing supportive care. In response, the HHS launched a website offering resources for transgender and LGBTQIA+ youth, their parents, and providers. These resources include best practices for affirming an LGBTQIA+ child, and information about suicide prevention services.
  • Overturned the Trump ban on openly transgender members of the U.S. Military.
  • Prohibited discrimination in housing, lending, and education.
  • Prohibited discrimination in healthcare. The Administration issued a new rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), affirming that nobody should be denied access to health care services based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, including intersex traits.
  • Provided educational resources on gender-affirming care.
  • Established the first Interagency Working Group on Safety, Opportunity, and Inclusion for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals. This task force is responsible for addressing the crisis of anti-trans stigma and violence.
  • Extended birthright citizenship to children of same-sex couples.
  • Authorized non-binary designations for passports. The State Department now allows non-binary gender markers on passports. As of June 2022, U.S. passport applicants may self-select their gender, even if their selected gender differs from their sex on other citizenship or identity documents.
  • Updated the U.S. Census to include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity. The Administration’s budget includes $10M to fund critical research on how to incorporation questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. This data will help the government better serve the LGBTQI+ community by providing valuable information on their jobs, educational attainment, home ownership, etc.
  • Removed the requirement for transgender people to show proof of gender identity to update their social security records. The Social Security Administration announced this will be implemented by Fall 2022. This will substantially improve transgender individuals ability and experience in accessing their retirement benefits, obtaining healthcare, and applying for jobs.
  • Expanded LGBTQI+ representation in government. Over 14% of Administration appointees identify as LGBTQIA+. The Senate confirmed the first openly gay cabinet secretary – Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation – and Rachel Levine, first openly transgender federal official, to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health.
  • Initiated updates to TSA screenings procedures to reduce trans-discrimination.
  • Expanded medical and legal support to LGBTQI+ military families.
    • • The U.S. Armed Forces has told service members that military medical facilities are available to provide mental health support to them or their families in the wake of new laws banning conversations of gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida and ordering investigations into parents of transgender children for child abuse in Texas.
      • Military legal personnel are also available to provide free counseling to families wanting to understand their legal protections and rights in states targeting gay and transgender children. Families can also utilize the Exceptional Family Member Program if they need to be reassigned to a different state with a safer environment for their family or LGBTQI+ child.
  • Instructed the VA to review policies to remove barriers of care for transgender veterans.