Biden to Expand on Protections that Trump Tried to Take Away

In his last days of office, during the US Capitol riots, President Trump quietly attempted to eliminate the rights of LGBTQ+ people in regards to Health and Human Services protection and adoption rights.

More specifically, Trump tried to remove LGBTQ+ people’s rights to receive STI and HIV prevention as well as to healthcare services, opioid programs, youth homelessness programs, and adoption programs. For several weeks, employees didn’t need to view gay marriage as valid if they didn’t feel like it.

But, once Biden took office, the LGBTQ+ community saw Title VII protections extended to ensure equal rights in the workplace. The landmark court case Bostock vs. Clayton County Georgia ensures the rights in the workplace of LGBTQ rights based on sex discrimination for transgender persons. With Bostock as precedent, Biden’s order prohibits sex discrimination, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Fair Housing Act, and Section 412 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Trump had previously reinstated the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the military with transgender people serving; Biden has discussed ending that policy quickly. Democrats are also expected to pass the Equality Act, which would give more legal power to Bostock and would amend Title II, barring accommodations from discriminating against the LGBTQ community – which owners of hotels or other establishments can currently do.

Biden wants to pass the Equality Act in his first 100 days in office, but it remains to be seen if it’ll get done that quickly. Trump had desperately tried to roll back Bostock in court, but he was unable to do so. Even in a short while, the LGBTQ+ community has noted the stark difference in the way the two presidents handle LGBTQ+ rights.