Where Does She Stand? Hillary & the Lgbt Community

I recently got my blue paperback ballot book in the mail, the one that covers everything from the governor to single-payer healthcare in Colorado.

I went through the pages while consciously contemplating all the boxes I will check (and omit from checking) to finally end this crazy election season this November.

I’m about as liberal as they come: I supported Bernie when that was still a thing, I support Amendment 69 (the healthcare one), heck I probably would have voted for the legalization of recreational marijuana had I been around when the opportunity arose — and hey, I know legally, I don’t have to tell anyone, but I plan on voting for Hillary.

Before doing so however, as an ally, I must ask myself: Where does Hillary Clinton stand on LGBT rights?

She and Bill have a complicated history on the subject: Back during his first term in presidency, the power couple aimed to tackle equal opportunity for gays in the military, and they were defeated. One might ask if this loss left a bad taste in their mouth, as they did not breach the subject again, leaving it an afterthought in their platform.

Nonetheless, here we are, around 20 years later with the decision to support or not support Secretary Clinton.

You know, Hillary loves riding off Obama’s achievements; in fact, her very “On the Issues” page on Google states, “The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality represents America at its best: just, fair, and moving toward equality. Now we have more work to do. I’ll fight to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans have full equality under the law, and to end discrimination in employment, housing, schools, and other aspects of our society.”

In other words, this says, “The Supreme Court, under Obama’s administration, made gay marriage legal. Elect me as president and I’ll try to impact the community positively too.”

It appears that she stands with us, yet, the criticism exists: Hilary did not support gay marriage until 2013! Hillary did not mention gay rights once during the first presidential debate! There are plenty of others.

So, again, the question arose:

Where does she stand on the issues? And conversely, what would Hillary as President of the United States mean for the LGBT community?

I chatted with my friend Alex, who’s a member of the LGBT community here in Denver. Alex has been a Hillary supporter for a long while. He firmly believes that she stands with the LGBTIQ community and that she would be an excellent choice.

Why  do  you  support  Hillary?

She is someone who has integrity and experience. When I hear her talk, I don’t just hear some politician. Hilary, of course, hasn’t had the most pristine record, but if you go back, while she didn’t nominally support the word marriage, she always supported equal rights and stood with us.

How do you justify supporting Hillary when people claim she is so back-and-forth on the issues? In other words, do you believe she has stood up for gay rights from the start?

I have really grown to appreciate her experience and what she can bring to the table. She is someone who has learned a lot under the Obama presidency and would be an excellent choice to represent our interests.

What do you think a Trump presidency would look like for the LGBT community?

I don’t think a Trump presidency would renege the progress made in the last several years. However, a Trump presidency may very possibly represent a huge halt as far as rights go, especially transgender rights, which have made so much progress lately.

What would you say to someone who is on the fence?

Consider the bigger impact. You may not be so pleased with either party. But voting third party, voting for Trump, or not voting at all will have a huge impact on the gay community. Whether it’s gay people of color, transgender people, anyone on the spectrum, think of the impact that your vote will have for all.

Whether you are on the fence or a full-fledged supporter like Alex, your vote is important. Read your blue book and consider the first potential female president as a good choice for the community. As a woman, she brings a marginalized perspective to the Oval Office and while yes, there are plenty of criticisms, I firmly believe she is a good choice and that she stands with the community.