Being LGBTQIA+ in America Right Now

By Mickey Few

America has been a tough place for the LGBTQIA+ community in recent years. Although the country is already slowed in the advancement of positive LGBTQIA+ legislation, America saw the progressive clock turning backwards as Trump came to power.

As plentiful as they were sinister, Trump's administration encouraged many regressive LGBTQIA+ changes during Trump’s time in power. Within their first year, Trump’s administration quickly attempted a ban on Transgender people in the military, removed LGBTQIA+ questions from an elderly survey that had been long fought for, proposed funding for life-saving H.I.V and AIDS research to be cut, and repealed guidelines on how to protect transgender children in schools.

These proposals lay foundations for what LGBTQIA+ Americans could expect from the Trump administration. Thus, propelling the LGBTQIA+ community into a state of fear and anxiety. Not only did the proposals of Trump’s administration create apprehension and a feeling of displacement for LGBTQIA+ Americans, but these proposals also encouraged an atmosphere of discrimination and prejudice against the LGBTQIA+ community.

Having historically fought for a pittance from the American Government, the LGBTQIA+ community was already aware that America is not always the progressive country it hopes to be. Up until 1992, it had been illegal for gay people to serve in the American Military – this law changed beneath Bill Clinton in 1993 to ‘don’t ask don’t tell.’ Don’t ask don’t tell remained insidious for gay people in the Military who feared military dismissal should they be found out for having a same-sex relationship. Further, it wasn’t until 2003 that the Supreme Court ruled that no state could criminalize same-sex intercourse.

However, a couple of decades after Clinton had ended his term as the U.S President, the tide seemed to be turning for LGBTQIA+ rights. The Obama administration bought positive changes for LGBTQIA+ Americas by legalising same-sex marriage in 2015, committing to anti-discrimination laws by prohibiting discrimination based on sexuality and repealing ‘don’t ask don’t tell.’ Seemingly there was positivity on the horizon for the LGBTQIA+ community. But then, the Trump administration came brashly in and started to undo any positivity Obama and his administration had brought to LGBTQIA+ Americans.

So, what has happened since the Trump administration left? Well, beneath Biden’s administration America seems to be seeing positive changes for the LGBTQIA+ community again.

Biden’s administration has started its term with important gestures such as asking people to choose their pronouns on a White House contact form and repealing Trump’s ban on rainbow flags at embassies. Further to this, Biden's administration has quickly overturned Trump’s hateful policies such as the military ban on Transgender people and has called for increased funding to fight HIV. Joe Biden's administration seems actively dedicated to standing apart from Trump’s administration. It is clear that they not only want to be LGBTQIA+ friendly but also they want to promote LGBTQIA+ rights as a priority.

It is fairly unsurprising that the Biden administration has taken an active stance on promoting LGBTQIA+ rights given Joe Biden's history. Joe Biden was Obama's right-hand man during the 2010 repeal of the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ laws. At this time, Biden said that removing the don’t ask don’t tell law was a historical moment ‘toward fostering justice, fairness and consideration.’

By committing to the protection of LGBTQIA+ rights and the LGBTQIA+ community, the Biden administration is sending an opposing message to what the Trump administration did. The Trump administration was a dog whistle for hate, discrimination, and phobia against LGBTQIA+ Americans. The Trump administration did this whilst hiding beneath the guise of religious protection. In contrast, the Biden administration is sending a message that progression and equality for the LGBTQIA+ community are where they want America to head.

Politics is nothing if not a trickle-down system whereby what happens at the top creates a smoke signal of what is acceptable at the bottom. It is not new territory to witness phobia of any kind become institutionalised (such as with the Trump administration) and thus allows for hatred and discrimination to seep up and outwards of a society. The leaders of any country hold destiny in the hands of their citizens not only through constitutions and laws but also through their impact on what is or isn’t acceptable in society. Hatred of any form was normalised, and discrimination was tolerated leading up to and throughout the Trump administration. Therefore, America saw an influx of anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes rising at an alarming rate.

However, it does feel that there is a changing tide with the Biden administration. What LGBTQIA+ Americans need now is a period of calm and support from their government to pass on the message to its citizens that hate against the LGBTQIA+ community will not be tolerated. As the Biden administration moves to the middle of their term they should continue their commitment to LGBTQIA+ Americans. From what we have seen so far, there is a lot of hope that this is the intention of Biden's administration.