Buttigieg And Warren Roll Out LGBTQ Equality Plans

October 10, 2019 2020 Elections, Democrats

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg both unveiled plans to expand LGBTQ protections and promote equal rights on Thursday, the day of an LGBTQ town hall hosted by CNN and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

Both Warren and Buttigieg, whose extensive plans are very similar, list passing the Equality Act as a top priority. The bill, which has passed the House of Representatives but has not been taken up by the Senate, would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other civil rights laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.

The senator and mayor, along with several other 2020 Democrats, have been vocal about LGBTQ issues and rights throughout their presidential campaigns. Buttigieg stands out in the crowded 2020 Democratic field as someone who, if elected, would be the first man married to a same-sex partner to be president of the United States.

The Advocate reports:

Buttigieg on Thursday unveiled a comprehensive plan to ensure equality for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. His campaign provided The Advocate an exclusive first look at his plan, entitled “Becoming Whole: A New Era for LGBTQ+ Americans.” The document touches on a number of areas affecting gender and sexual minorities, including health, youth and family issues, religion, racism, transphobia, and HIV.

“When I’m president,” Buttigieg said, “we will implement solutions bold enough to meet the challenges the LGBTQ+ community faces while bringing the American people together to understand that our freedoms are bound up in each other.”

A President Buttigieg will push for passage of the Equality Act — which would ban workplace and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity — legislation opposed by President Trump. Buttigieg also wants to immediately rescind the current administration’s repeated efforts to strip away protections from discrimination.

See Buttigieg’s full plan here. It’s really something.