Biden announces new actions to protect LGBTQ community

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a series of actions designed to protect the rights of the nation’s LGBTQ community, amid an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ laws being enacted in states across the country.

In an announcement celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month, the Biden-Harris administration reiterated its commitment to protecting and defending the nation’s LGBTQ community.

The announcement highlighted various actions the administration has taken to ensure the community is protected from the ongoing attacks on its rights and freedoms, as well as steps the White House plans to take to further protect LGBTQ people — particularly transgender youth.

“Over a dozen states have enacted anti-LGBTQI+ laws that violate our most basic values and freedoms as Americans, and are cruel and callous to our kids, our neighbors, and those in our community,” the White House said in a statement.

The president “stands with stands with the LGBTQI+ community and has their backs in the face of these attacks,” the statement added.

Among the newly announced actions, the White House said the Department of Homeland Security, with support from the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, would launch an LGBTQI+ Community Safety Partnership in an effort to address a “surge in violence against individuals and community spaces.”

The partnership will work hand-in-hand with LGBTQ organizations, offering them “critical safety resources” so they can “remain safe spaces for the community.”

The initiative will protect healthcare providers serving members of the LGBTQ community, facilitate the reporting of hate crimes, and provide safety training for LGBTQ organizations.

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The protection of LGBTQ youth was also highlighted by the president, who vowed to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care, shield kids and families from discrimination, and address LGBTQ youth homelesseness with the creation of a new initiative headed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Biden also announced the appointment of a new coordinator to address “the growing threat that book bans pose for the civil rights of students” — noting that the number of banned books in the country hit an all-time high in 2022, according to data compiled by the American Library Association. The vast majority of them were written by or about members of the LGBTQ community and people of color.

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Biden’s announcement was applauded by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who praised the president for “leading the most pro-equality administration in history” during a “tumultuous time” for LGBTQ people in the U.S.

“Our community is under threat, both by policies that strip away our rights and by extremists threatening violence,” Pocan said. “Today’s actions will help improve our community’s safety, strengthen protections and support for LGBTQI+ youth, and address the un-American book bans spreading throughout the country.”