Joe Biden just got a major boost
You might not have noticed, but Joe Biden’s campaign got another big boost on Tuesday, as he was endorsed for president by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s leading group on LGBTQ rights, who timed their endorsement on the eighth anniversary of when Joe Biden declared his approval of same-sex marriage, at a time when the issue was still pretty controversial and the Democratic Party was somewhat wary about solidly supporting it in public during what would be a tough election year. Three days later, Obama would follow suit, declaring his support in an ABC News interview. The issue ultimately ended up uniting Democrats and dividing Republicans, who had used same-sex marriage as a wedge issue back in 2004 to bring conservatives to the polls.
“We reviewed his record on marginalized communities,” said HRC’s president Alphonso David of the endorsement, which was unanimous. “We reviewed his prior comments on LGBTQ issues as well as issues that affect people who bring intersectional identities to the table. As an example, I’m black, I’m gay, I’m an immigrant. All of those issues are important for me and they happen to be for the Human Rights Campaign.”
The group’s decision to endorse Biden came to not only highlight the anniversary of his pivotal decision but also his campaign’s goals to fully implement the Affordable Care Act, to sign the the Equality Act, an LGBTQ non-discrimination bill, and to eradicate HIV/AIDS by 2025. By contrast, the Trump administration’s justice department has fought regularly to end LGBTQ protections in the workplace, banned transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces and routinely attacks the Affordable Care Act. The Human Rights Campaign realizes how serious the stakes are and hope to turn out the voters most vulnerable to a second term of Donald Trump.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making