This article was published on January 28th, 2020

The Democratic field has narrowed considerably over the last three months, and now that there are fewer candidates vying for the nomination, more time can be spent on the issues in depth, in particular those that relate to the LGBTQ+ community. At HomoCulture, we have detailed the records of those still left in the race, giving readers the opportunity to decide for themselves who is pledging to work for the best interests of the community.

There are many issues that are sure to be on the table in the coming years, and it is important to know as soon as possible what these candidates plan to do in regards to employment protections, job and housing discrimination, the Equality Act, and the following issues:

• updating the U.S. Passport to include the non-binary or X category
• pass legislation to support suicide prevention programs for LGBTQ+ youth
• outlawing general surgery on babies born intersexed at birth
• removing hurdles transgendered individuals face procuring medically necessary transition-related care
• outlawing conversion therapy nationwide

With these issues key in the coming years and more, how do the current candidates, in no particular order, stack up and what is their current stance? The details below:

Tom Steyer
The billionaire businessmen has proposed instating 12-year term limits on Congressional leaders as a way to protect LGBTQ+ rights, citing there is a generational shift on the issue. He also is in support of reversing President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military ban and the effort to deny visas to U.N. employees’ same-sex domestic partners. Steyer additionally supports redefining murders against transgender people as hate crimes and installing a special envoy at the State Department to handle the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Senator Amy Klobuchar
The Minnesota senator proposes the collection of census data on LGBTQ+ Americans, a move she cites needs no help from Congress. Klobuchar also supports a federal ban on conversation therapy, while also adding a third gender identity on government records for people that identify as neither male or female. However, she does not favor decriminalizing sex work, an issue largely tied to transgender women of color who face more discrimination in traditional workplace environments. 

Mayor Pete Buttigieg
The upstart in the race endorses the Equality Act, acknowledges the epidemic of murders among transgendered people, and agrees that the decriminalization of potential HIV exposure should be eradicated. He has also previously unveiled a plan to remove the practice of conversion therapy and vows to reverse any Trump-era measures that allow for discrimination of LGBTQ+ members. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren
The senator from Massachusetts has pledged to decriminalize HIV transmission and lower PrEP costs to reduce HIV risk nationwide. Warren also has made it part of her plan to categorize crimes against the transgender community as hate crimes. She also went one step further, vowing to have America as one of the leading nations in the world place more pressure on other countries with documented human rights violations against LGBTQ+ people. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden
The former Vice President has made public his intention to organize a State Department that would promote LGBTQ+ rights worldwide as well as pledge aid to countries where gay people are persecuted en masse, including Saudi Arabia. He is also a proponent of the Equality Act.

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg
As a supporter of gay marriage, Bloomberg has been cited by the Human Rights Campaign for making his company one of the best places for LGBTQ+ members to work when it comes to fighting equality. He is also an ardent supporter of transgender civil rights and vows to overturn any current Trump-measures targeted towards the LGBTQ community. 

Senator Bernie Sanders
As the lone Democratic Socialist in the field, Sanders pledges to pass the Equality Act, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, and several other measures that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community. He also supports a comprehensive healthcare bill that doesn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation, covering PrEP costs, gender-affirming surgeries, providing mental healthcare and bolstering suicide prevention efforts nationwide. Sanders is also in favor of the Safe Schools Improvement Act to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students. He is a supporter of policies in police departments that ensure fair treatment of transgender people and institute training programs that promote fair policies. Knowing that the community also has to contend with unfair housing policies, Sanders pledges to institute a National Fair Housing Agency that invest billions across five years to end homelessness in America. He also vows to repeal all the measures President Trump put into place that targeted the transgender people in the U.S. military and designate attacks on trans-individuals as hate crimes. 

With less than a year to go before Americans go to the voting booth, more issues affecting the community will be open to debate, and HomoCulture will be there with the latest updates.