Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren,
who is vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, has
reiterated her support for LGBT rights.
In a statement given to LGBT blog
NewNowNext,
Warren promised she would “fight tooth and nail … to ban
discrimination against LGBT individuals in employment, housing, and
healthcare” if elected president in 2020. Last week, Democrats in
the House with the help of eight Republicans passed the Equality Act,
which seeks to add protections against discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity to existing civil rights laws. Warren
has previously said that she supports the bill, while President
Donald Trump has signaled that he's opposed to it.
Warren added that Trump “and his
right-wing allies have been doing whatever they can to unravel” the
rights of LGBT individuals. She vowed to reverse some of the
president's policies, including denying visas to unmarried same-sex
partners of foreign diplomats, barring transgender individuals from
serving in the military, and prohibiting gay and bisexual men from
donating blood.
“Let me be very clear. If someone can
handle the job, they should be allowed to serve – regardless of how
they identify or who they love. We'll stand with service members and
fight this cruelty with everything we've got,” she tweeted earlier
this year, referring to the military ban.
Warren also called for a nationwide ban
on “the despicable practice of conversion therapy,” which
attempts to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBT
individuals. Fifteen states plus the District of Columbia have
already banned the practice as it relates to minors. Governors in
Maine and Colorado are expected to sign similar legislation approved
by lawmakers.
Warren has repeatedly scored 100
percent on the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) Congressional Scorecard,
a measure of a lawmaker's support for LGBT rights.