In America, who you love or how you identify should not impact your ability to succeed. The Trump administration is rolling back years of hard work with its targeted attacks on the basic civil rights of LGBTQ Americans. Senator Gardner is complicit by voting to appoint anti-LGBTQ judges to the bench and failing to support the Equality Act. In contrast, John has been a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ community his entire adult life. As Governor, he signed a law to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act in Colorado to include same-sex partners. And before marriage equality was the law of the land, he passed civil unions here in Colorado. As one of One Colorado’s Pro-Equality candidates, John is committed to supporting an inclusive, intersectional policy agenda for LGBTQ rights in the Senate.
- Pass the Equality Act (H.R. 5)— H.R. 5 strengthens non-discrimination protections in education, health care, housing, public services, and more. John will work to pass this important legislation into law in the Senate.
- Strengthen Civil Rights Protections — As Senator, John will fund the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, which prosecutes hate crimes. He will vote to appoint judges who uphold LGBTQ protections. And he will support the Do No Harm Act, which ensures no one can be denied services based on their identity.
- Boost Economic Security for LGBTQ Workers and Business Owners — Codifying anti-discrimination protections, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and strengthening the social safety net will help level the playing field for LGBTQ workers. John also supports expanding apprenticeship programs increasing access to capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs — particularly LGBTQ small business owners.
- Protect Transgender Rights — The marginalization of transgender Americans, particularly individuals of color, is a human rights crisis in our country. If elected to the U.S. Senate, John will fight to restore Obama-era civil rights protections for the transgender community, while also supporting legislation to address areas of persistant inequality, including in the justice system.
- Address Discrimination Against LGBTQ Individuals of Color — The deadly intersection of racism, transphobia, and homophobia persists in our nation today, and John supports using the National Violent Death Reporting System to track gender identity in violent deaths, ensuring justice for those who have been murdered. Black lives matter includes Black trans lives. Congress needs to start acting like it.
- Expand Access to Inclusive Health Care — Protecting the ACA and introducing a public option will expand coverage and increase affordability for LGBTQ Americans. John also supports bias training for physicians and coverage requirements for hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery to improve care. Finally, he supports ending the FDA’s restrictions on blood donations from men who have sex with men.
- Fund HIV/AIDS Prevention and Research — More than 1,100,000 people currently live with HIV, and new infections disproportionately impact communities of color. As Senator, John would fund federal programs such as Ryan White and PEPFAR. He will also make pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) more affordable, through legislation such as the PrEP Access and Coverage Act.
- Support LGBTQ Youth — John believes we can do more to ensure young LGBTQ Americans grow up in safe, accepting communities by: (1) banning conversion therapy; (2) funding mental health and suicide prevention efforts; (3) supporting community-based temporary shelter programs to address youth homelessness; (4) making it easier to change legal ID documents; and (5) holding the Department of Education accountable for protecting LGBTQ youth in schools and funding LGBTQ training for educators.
To read the full policy, please click here.
