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STATEMENT CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH FROM BUILDING BACK TOGETHER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANIELLE MELFI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 1, 2022
PRESS CONTACT: [email protected]

STATEMENT CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH FROM BUILDING BACK TOGETHER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANIELLE MELFI

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Building Back Together Executive Director Danielle Melfi released the following statement in honor of Pride Month:

“In recognition of Pride Month, we recommit ourselves to the fight for justice and equity for the LGBTQI+ community. Celebrating Pride Month means standing up for transgender children across our country, defending fundamental rights like marriage equality, and protecting LGBTQI+ people facing unacceptable stigma and discrimination.

“We’ve seen President Biden take action in a whole-of-government approach to advance justice and equity for the LGBTQI+ community since he took office. On day one, he signed an executive order combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, and has continued to take action – including by expanding birthright citizenship to children born abroad to same-sex couples and reversing a ban on openly transgender service members serving in the military. Recognizing there is still more work to be done as we celebrate Pride Month this year, President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to realizing the ideal of equal rights for all in America.”

President Biden has led his administration in the fight for justice and equity for the LGBTQI+ community since taking office:

  • President Biden reversed the discriminatory ban on openly transgender service members serving in the military.
  • President Biden advanced 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.
  • President Biden supported LGBTQI+ Americans, who are more likely to experience unemployment and continue to face discrimination in the job market, by extending unemployment insurance benefits.
  • The Biden-Harris Administration increased funding for research on gender-affirming procedures to further develop the evidence base for improved care.
  • The Biden-Harris Administration ensured that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, reversing the Trump Administration’s stance.
  • The Biden-Harris Administration announced it would endorse the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQI+ people, while ensuring transgender individuals seeking emergency shelter and homeless services have access to housing.

Because of President Biden’s leadership, the federal government has committed to promoting and protecting the rights of LGBTQI+ people at home and around the world:
 

  • The Biden-Harris Administration added 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.
  • The Biden-Harris Administration expanded birthright citizenship to children born abroad to same-sex couples.
  • President Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services released a new website that offers resources for transgender and LGBTQI+ youth, their parents, and health providers.
  • President Biden established a White House-led interagency working group on anti-transgender violence, and released a White House report uplifting the voices of transgender people on gender-based violence and discrimination.
  • 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.

The fight for equity is far from over, and President Biden and Vice President Harris will continue to advocate for the rights and freedoms of LGBTQI+ Americans while in office.

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