Building Back Together Celebrates Pride Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2024

PRESS CONTACT: [email protected] 

BUILDING BACK TOGETHER CELEBRATES PRIDE MONTH

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Building Back Together Communications Director Blake Goodman issued the following statement:

“This month, we celebrate the resilience, diversity, and vibrant spirit of our LGBTQ+ community. We salute our LGBTQ+ elders who fought for the rights we celebrate and honor the progress our nation has continued to make to expand rights and protections for our country’s LGBTQ+ families. 

“While Pride marks a month of joy and progress for the LGBTQ+ community, it also serves as a painful reminder of the increasingly hateful attacks against our community, including extreme MAGA attempts to curb our rights and freedoms. Since day one, President Biden and Vice President Harris have committed themselves to combating hate and building a country where every person can thrive — no matter who they are or who they love. We are grateful for the work this administration has done to protect our community and for the constant reminder that our differences are what make our nation stronger.

“This month, and every month, we choose to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s integral role in our country’s past, present, and future. We wish everyone in the LGBTQ+ community across the country a happy and joyous Pride.” 

Since assuming office, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to deliver for the LGBTQ+ community by:

  • Signing the Respect for Marriage Act to protect same-sex and interracial marriage at the federal level.
  • Reversing the discriminatory ban on openly transgender service members serving in the military.
  • Advancing health equity for LGBTQI+ Americans, who are more likely to be uninsured, by improving access to and affordability of health coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
  • Establishing a White House-led interagency working group on anti-transgender violence, and releasing a White House report uplifting the voices of transgender people on gender-based violence and discrimination.
  • Adding a non-binary gender marker option for U.S. passports, which impacts 1.2 million non-binary adults, 2 million transgender people, and as many as 5.5 million people who were born intersex.
  • Expanding birthright citizenship to children born abroad to same-sex couples.
  • Increasing funding for research on gender-affirming procedures to further develop the evidence base for improved care.
  • Reinstating a rule to prohibit housing discrimination against LGBTQI+ people while ensuring transgender individuals seeking emergency shelter and homeless services have access to housing.
  • The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has filed multiple Statements of Interest and amicus briefs to protect the constitutional rights of transgender individuals and combat legislative attacks on transgender kids at the state level.
  • Enhancing the Affordable Care Act to include protections based on sexual orientation and reinforce existing protections for gender identity, ensuring nondiscrimination in healthcare and insurance coverage for LGBTQI+ Americans.
  • Signing an executive order on his first day in office assuring that the federal government will not engage in workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and that it is expected to stand against such discrimination in the private sector as well. 

###