The Human Rights Campaign announced its endorsement for Hilary Rodham Clinton for President of the United States on Tuesday. The move does not come as a big surprise as Clinton spoke at the HRC Breakfast in Washington on Oct. 3, 2015.
And we need to say, with one voice, that transgender people are valued, they are loved, they are us, they desire to be treated fairly and equally.”
The HRC posted the following statement regarding Secretary Clinton’s stance and record on transgender issues:
As a candidate, Hillary Clinton has pledged to help end the scourge of violence facing the transgender community, and to improve data collection to better document the difficulties faced by transgender Americans. Last year, Clinton said, “we’ve got to address the crisis of transphobic violence. 2015 has seen the murder of at least 19 transgender women, primarily women of color. And nobody knows how much violence goes unreported or ignored. And we need to say, with one voice, that transgender people are valued, they are loved, they are us, they desire to be treated fairly and equally.” Clinton has called for lifting the ban on transgender military service so that everyone can serve openly.
At the State Department, Clinton expanded the State Department’s Equal Employment Opportunity Statement to include gender identity, and the Department also eased the rules for passports to make it easier for transgender individuals to change their listed gender. As a presidential candidate, Clinton has pledged to streamline identity documents and remove barriers for those seeking to change their gender markers.
“..it’s an endorsement that cannot possibly be based on the facts and the record”
The news prompted a response from the Bernie Sanders campaign. “It’s understandable and consistent with the establishment organizations voting for the establishment candidate, but it’s an endorsement that cannot possibly be based on the facts and the record,” said Sanders campaign spokesperson Michael Briggs to the Washington Blade. According to the report he went on to say, “So who knows what prompted the Human Rights Campaign to do what it does — I have trouble myself figuring why they do some of the things they do over the years — but I think the gay men and lesbians all over the country will know who has been their champion for a long, long time and will consider that as they make up their mind on support for his campaign.” Briggs went on to clarify his statement to add bisexual and transgender individuals.
The HRC also posted the announcement in a campaign video for Secretary Clinton.
