Hillary Clinton has penned an op-ed for a local LGBTQ newspaper, the first time a major-party nominee has done so. While LGBTQ issues have not received as much attention this cycle as they did in either 2008 and 2012, this is a reassuring sign of Clinton's commitment to pressing forward on federal protections for gay and transgender Americans, fighting anti-transgender violence, and increasing research into preventative drugs for HIV/AIDS. She has also granted interviews to The Advocate and a Florida LGBTQ site, Hotspots.
Here's Clinton writing in the Philadelphia Gay News:
If I’m fortunate enough to be elected president, I’ll protect the progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve — and I’ll keep fighting until every American can live free from discrimination and prejudice.
That means working to pass the Equality Act. It would finally provide LGBT people full federal nondiscrimination protections in housing, employment and so much more. I know that differences of opinion on LGBT equality still exist in the hearts of some Americans, but they should not exist under our laws. As president, I’ll be your partner in bringing about the vision of the inclusive nation that advocates, activists and allies have been seeking for decades.
I also believe we must address the ongoing issue of violence against the LGBT community. LGBT people are now more likely than any other group to be the target of a hate crime. America saw the effects of hate in Orlando, with the attack on the Pulse nightclub — the deadliest mass shooting by a single person in our history. The danger is compounded for LGBT people of color, who face intersectional pressures and dangers, particularly transgender people of color. Last year, more than 20 transgender women were killed in America. Recently, three were murdered right here in Philadelphia.
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In 2008, Barack Obama did write an open letter to the LGBTQ community that was published on the blog Bilerico. But that was while he and Hillary were still duking it out for the nomination. Obama tacked more conservative during the general election, repeating his opposition to same-sex marriage several times.
So for Hillary to write this op-ed and grant interviews in the heat of a general election does show general progress on LGBTQ issues, within both our culture and the Democratic Party.