Let me start by stating this simple fact about LGBTQ rights: These are not special rights, these are human rights. Those who fight for LGBTQ rights are not asking for special designation or special laws to recognize rights for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters; they are asking for universal human rights that all of us are entitled to. The same rights that our constitution provides and the same rights that our military fights to uphold. We are not fighting for new rights; we are fighting for the same human rights that non-LGBTQ people share.
Over the past few years, our country has been introduced to “Religious Freedom” legislation that has nothing to do with religion or freedom and has only to do with institutionalizing hate and bigotry for those that disagree with their fellow Americans. While we should be eliminating hate from our heart, we have right-wing conservatives working to make hate mainstream and acceptable for those they deem as “other”.
Those that the right-wing conservatives (and some conservative Democrats) like to deem as “other” are our mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors. They are deemed to be less worthy of protection under the law and provided less than equal rights in our society (and law) because of who they love or how they identify as a gender. That cannot stand, and an equal America cannot be truly equal until all of our citizens are treated as equal without fear of retribution through violence or the law.
We have made great progress in the fight for equality for LGBTQ Americans. From overturning ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ to finally realizing the dream of marriage equality in all 50 states. We have put into place strong hate crimes legislation with the ‘Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act’ that gave the Justice Department the authority to investigate potential hate crimes where an individual was singled out. We overturned ‘DOMA’ at the Supreme Court, and we have instituted programs to help with the youth in America who suffer from bullying only due to their sexuality or gender identity.
But, we must do more to make sure that universal rights mean that LGBTQ Americans are protected in all facets of life. We need to fight back against any and all attempts to institutionalize hate and bigotry in all forms, especially when it comes from local, state and federal governments. If I am so honored to be elected to Congress here in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, I will fight back any attempts to pass a national “religious freedom” bill, as these laws have no place in American society at any point in history and certainly not in 2016 and beyond.
We must do more to ensure that children are safe and protected when they decide to make the important and personal decision of coming out and being open with their sexuality or gender in their world. According to a study, 55% of students do not feel safe going to class after they have come out. We need to train teachers and school staff to be equipped to handle situations when they arrive at school, whether a child faces bullying and potentially suicidal thoughts that result from bullying, teachers and administration must be ready to handle the situation quickly and effectively. A decision to come out should be a decision that an individual makes because they are ready, not whether they believe those around them are ready.
We must do more to ensure that LGBTQ Americans are better protected in the workplace from discrimination and bias. In America, a business should not be able to discipline or fire you based on who you love or how you identify. In 28 states, it is still legal to fire someone if they married someone of the same sex, despite that marriage equality is the law of the land. The fight to end workplace discrimination is not over until it is illegal in all 50 states to be fired from your job for who you love.
We must fight hard to squash “bathroom bills” that are intended to create fear and hate for those that are uncomfortable by those that they are told are “other.” We need to protect transgender Americans and their right to use the restroom in which they identify with and nothing more. The fears of a man dressing as a woman to use the woman’s restroom only to abuse women are unfounded and ignorant. We also need to provide better health care access and care for who are Transgender, as many health professionals are not trained in treating those who are Transgender. We must also protect the nearly 20% who are denied health care simply because they are, in fact, Transgender. This is completely unacceptable.
If we are to be a country based on family values, that must extend to ALL families in America. We need to make sure that when same-sex couples look to adopt a child, they can do so without discrimination or flat out denial of their attempts to adopt. When we have hundreds of thousands of children looking for a family in America in our foster care system, and we have thousands of same-sex couples looking to adopt, we must tear down any barriers that are put up to prevent same-sex couple adoptions. Over 1/3rd of adoption agencies will deny same-sex couple adoption applications. We can and must do more to prevent this bigotry and make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children.
So, when we discuss human rights and freedom in America and around the world, this must mean that LGBTQ shares in those rights without special exemptions carved out for those who wish not to accept that reality. We must be a country that treats all of its citizens equally if we are to have an America that is equal and free. We can and must do more, and I will continue to fight to make sure that human rights and freedom do include those who are LGBTQ, as we cannot afford not to make that a reality.
Thank you,
Alex Singer
SingerforCongress.com
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