There are
stark differences between the 2016 Democratic and Republican platforms. The GOP
platform has the most anti-LGBT language in history while the Democratic
platform is the most progressive in the history of the Democratic Party.
The GOP
platform has no mention of LGBT and mentions the terms gender identity, sexual
orientation or equality three times. The Democratic platform has 24 mentions of
those same terms and dedicates an entire section to addressing concerns of the LGBT
Community. This year there are well over 600 Democrat delegates compared to
just 6 out Republican delegates. From this comparison the contrast is
obvious—the Democrats are more concerned with LGBT lives than the GOP.
The
Democratic Platform
The 2016
Democratic platform applauds the marriage equality ruling by the U.S. Supreme
Court that “recognized the LGBT people – like other Americans – have the right
to marry the person they love,” and acknowledges “there is still much work to
be done.”
There is an
entire section called “Guaranteeing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Rights,” where the party outlines all it wants to accomplish to ensure that LGBT
lives are equal under the law. It talks about current LGBT topics likeddd LGBT
youth being bullied in school, restaurants refusing service to trans men and
women and same-sex couples at risk of being evicted from their homes. “That is
unacceptable and must change. Democrats will fight for the continued
development of sex discrimination laws to cover LGBT people,” the platform reads.
It goes
on to say, “We support a progressive vision of religious freedom that respects
pluralism and rejects the misuse of religion to discriminate. We will combat LGBT
youth homelessness and improve school climates. We will support LGBT elders,
ensure access to necessary health care, and protect LGBT people from
violence—including ending the crisis of violence against transgender
Americans.”
The
platform addresses the upcoming 2020 Census and promises to equip the Census
Bureau with resources to accurately represent LGBT lives as well as those who
are persistently undercounted such as communities of color, immigrants, young
children and those with disabilities.
The
platform states that the party is proud of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
and commits to “insuring fair treatment for LGBT veterans, including by
proactively reviewing and upgrading discharge records for veterans who were
discharged because of their sexual orientation.”
The
Democratic Party believes that LGBT rights are human rights and should be reflected
in American foreign policy. “We will continue to stand with LGBT people around
the world, including fighting efforts by any nation to infringe on LGBT rights
or ignore abuse.”
The
Republican Platform
The GOP
platform seeks to reverse the 2015 marriage equality SCOTUS ruling through
judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning the issue to
the states. In addition, the GOP platform also objects the use of federal law
to ensure trans people can use the bathroom consistent with their identity.”
They support “ex-gay” conversion therapy and endorse the First Amendment
Defense Act; a “religious freedom” bill that critics say enables anti-LGBT discrimination.
The
platform discusses LGBT youth and access to safe schools, claiming that Title
IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is being used by bureaucrats and
President Obama to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American
people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation
or other categories.
Families
are also a target in the GOP platform, and the platform stands firm on
“traditional values” and states, “Traditional marriage and family, based on
marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society
and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling
cultural values.
The
Republican Platform indicates a strong “no-change stance” while the Democratic
Party is proud of and acknowledges their shift in focus. It is imperative for
all LGBT people to get out to vote in the upcoming election so that hard-worked
for policies are not revoked, putting us back!
