Elizabeth Warren is no stranger to LGBTQ rights. Her email interview with NewNowNext, in which she provided them with an exclusive statement, isn’t surprising, but it’s definitely exciting.
Remember how excited people were about passing the Equality Act in the House just a few days ago? As Warren told NewNowNext, that’s just the beginning. In fact, as she shared, one of her immediate priorities as president would be to “reverse the State Department’s decision to deny visas to unmarried same-sex partners of foreign diplomats." Yes—she has policy ideas on this, too.
As a refresher, the decision she’s referencing (basically) says that U.N. representatives and foreign diplomats must marry their partners to avoid separation. There’s the obvious ethical problem (not everyone wants to be married, this wouldn’t be asked of opposite-sex couples, and so on), but also a logistical one. Not everyone even has this option, given that same-sex marriage isn’t recognized in much of the world. In fact, not only could this be dangerous, but could potentially lead to violence or discrimination.
But as Warren acknowledges, that’s, unfortunately, one problem in the scheme of many. Warren stressed that in the Oval Office, she will “fight tooth and nail … to ban discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in employment, housing, and healthcare."
Amazing.
In the past, she’s worked to lift the archaic and homophobic ban on blood donations from gay men. She’s also called for a reversal of Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military, which happened to go viral on Twitter:
She’s also called for a nationwide ban on conversion therapy, an incredibly dangerous “therapy” that most often impacts LGBTQ youth.
She’s publicly supported same-sex marriage since 2011, during her run for Senate. And remember: In 2011, not all Democrats were doing so. In fact, in a 2012 interview with the Washington Blade, she gently called out then-President Barack Obama, saying, “I want to see the president evolve because I believe that is right; marriage equality is morally right.” (And as we remember, evolve he did!)
The senator from Massachusetts has received a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign for her first term, back in 2013. Today, she still seems to understand that the fight is far from over.
“Our LGBTQ friends across the country continue to face discrimination at work, at school, and in their communities,” Warren said, as reported by NewNowNext. “At every turn, President Trump and his right-wing allies have been doing whatever they can to unravel their rights.”
And on a lighter note, she also dances in Boston Pride with a rainbow boa, as one does: