Biden Aims to Protect Transgender Individuals

Joe Biden joined ABC News for a Town Hall event on October 15. There, Mieke Haeck, a mother of a transgender child, asked the candidate about how he would handle LGBTQ issues. 

“The Trump administration has attacked the rights of transgender people, banning them from military service, weakening nondiscriminatory protection, and even removing the word ‘transgender’ from some government websites. How will you, as president, reverse this dangerous and discriminatory agenda and ensure that the lives and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under the U.S?”

Biden geared his attention towards specifically transgender issues, stating: “I will flat-out change the law, eliminate those executive orders.” He discussed that he believes there should be zero discrimination against a child that “decided I want to be transgender.” Biden’s choice of words upset some folks, as the wording made it seem as though being transgender is a choice, despite the fact that he was speaking out in support of trans issues. 

biden using incorrect wording around trans people but giving a fuck about whether they live or die and saying lgbt people deserve rights and shit: pic.twitter.com/ed19Vq6Psq

— jaime | christmas duckling ????❄️???? (@snoopypez) October 16, 2020

The presidential candidate further goes on to acknowledge the struggle among transgender women of color. 

Twenty-twenty became the year that has had more murders of transgender folks throughout history. The number surpassed the 2019 total. Black, trans women continue to face major threats for their mere existence, so much so that their life expectancy is 35. The NCTE’s U.S Transgender Survey reported that 47 percent of Black participants detailed being verbal or physical assault, and 30 percent of Latinx individuals reported the same. 

Additionally, 57 percent of all participants stated that they were afraid to go to the police when dealing with these issues. This could be due to the discrimination that follows them, even to a public protection service. Fifty-eight percent of individuals who have had an interaction with police reported mistreatment such as harassment and abuse. Sixty percent reported being physically assaulted by police, and 64 percent stated they have experienced sexual assault. 

Biden’s vow to protect transgender issues could be a silver lining to a presidency many are reluctantly getting behind. Acknowledgment of the discrepancies out, transgender members of color shows his awareness, regardless of whether or not his phrasing was correct. That all being said: Vote.