President Joe Biden signed a
new Executive Order this past week: Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Undeserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The President’s deputy assistant for racial justice and equity, Chiraag Bains, assures that this order is one way which Biden is keeping his campaign promise to support equity and inclusion in this country.
Back in January 2021, Biden
signed a preliminary Executive Order, On Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Undeserved Communities Through the Federal Government. This served to direct federal government agencies in their strivings to providing equitable treatment to Black and brown, LGBTQ, and transgender Americans.
Bidan’s deputy assistant explained that this new executive order is critically important now, as Republicans attempt to hinder the distribution of equity in schools, in hospitals and reproductive health, and try to ban gender-affirming care.
“(This executive order) makes clear that the agencies’ work to ensure equity for LGBTQI+ Americans is part of our broader mandate. This is about racial equity, but it is about equity more broadly as well, and that includes for LGBTQI+ Americans as well,” says Bains.
Bains also stated that combatting attacks on the LGBTQ community is an area of high priority for Bidan’s administration.
Earlier this month, Bidan called upon lawmakers for the passing of the
Equality Act, a piece of legislation which would protect LGBTQ rights. “Let’s also pass the bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity,” Bidan states.
This new executive order will also require agencies to assess potential civil rights threats, such as automated technology discrimination and accessibility concerns for those with disabilities, as well as measures for better including non-English speakers.
“Our work is far from done when it comes to achieving equity,” Bains says, “and as the president has said, equity is not a one or two year project, it’s a generational commitment.”
Photo Credit: @POTUS on Twitter
By Katie F
