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2020 Road to the White House

Six Top 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates to Appear in First-Ever LGBTQ Town Hall on National TV

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Six of the top ten Democratic presidential candidates have signed on to appear in a town hall focused on “issues of importance to the LGBTQ community.” The October 10 event will be hosted by CNN and the Human Rights Campaign.

“The evening will constitute the largest-ever audience for a Democratic presidential town hall devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) issues and will mark the first time in history that a major cable news network will air a presidential event devoted to issues of importance to the LGBTQ community,” HRC says in a press release.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Secretary Julián Castro, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Senator Elizabeth Warren will all participate. The event is open to all Democratic presidential candidates who meet the DNC’s fall debate eligibility criteria.

Currently not on HRC’s list for the LGBTQ town hall but qualified for this month’s DNC debate are Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Andrew Yang.

“In 2018, LGBTQ voters cast ballots in higher numbers than the general population. LGBTQ voters cast more than 7 million ballots in all — a turnout of roughly 70 percent, compared to a turnout of 49 percent among the general population — and comprised 6 percent of the entire electorate,” HRC notes, adding that there are 10 million LGBTQ voters nationwide.

Related: 114 Times Trump Threw the LGBTQ Community Under the Bus

“Over the last two years,” HRC adds, “the Trump-Pence Administration has rescinded key protections for transgender students, appointed two new conservative justices to the Supreme Court, banned transgender troops from serving openly in the military, and has repeatedly sought to allow discrimination against LGBTQ people in healthcare, housing, public accommodations and other aspects of life under the guise of ‘religious freedom.’ Despite campaigning on a promise to be a ‘friend’ to the LGBTQ community, President Trump designated Mike Pence as his vice president, and has refused to advance bipartisan federal civil rights legislation — the Equality Act — which overwhelmingly passed through the U.S. House of Representatives this spring.”

For a look at the Trump administration’s attacks on the LGBTQ community, see NCRM’s archives.

Image by GPA Photo Archive via Flickr and a CC license

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2020 Road to the White House

Church Bells and Light Shows Across the Country Will Ring in Biden-Harris Administration

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New details were released Thursday by the Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC) on behalf of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. In addition to the incoming president leading a memorial to honor American lives lost to COVID-19, light shows across the country will also take place.

The church-bell ringings and light shows across the country will take place on Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m. ET. A D.C. ceremony, led by Biden, will feature lights around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — the first time lighting around the Reflecting Pool has memorialized American lives lost.

“PIC is inviting cities and towns around the country to join Washington, D.C., in illuminating buildings and ringing church bells at 5:30 p.m. ET [15 minutes after sunset] in a national moment of unity and remembrance,” the committee said. The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the beginning of a new national journey.”

The PIC statement continued, “However, in the midst of a pandemic — when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends, and neighbors — it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nation’s history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation.”

“President-elect Biden’s unwavering commitment to the safety of the American people is our North Star as we plan an inauguration that protects public health while honoring inaugural traditions and engaging Americans across the country. We are excited to share more information soon about the new and innovative ways all Americans can watch and participate in a historic inauguration that will unify our country,” said PIC Executive Director Maju Varghese.

“The pandemic is continuing to have a significant public health impact across the nation. Americans everywhere must do their part to slow the spread of the virus: wear masks, stay home, and limit gatherings. We are asking Americans to participate in inaugural events from home to protect themselves, their families, friends, and communities,” said PIC Chief Medical Advisor Dr. David Kessler.

The PIC will continue to announce further details about events and how Americans can participate as it becomes available in the coming weeks.

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2020 Road to the White House

President-Elect Biden: Trump’s Mishandling of the Transition is ‘Nothing Short’ of ‘Irresponsibility’

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President-elect Joe Biden made it clear Monday that his incoming administration will be operating from a disadvantage on day one if the Trump administration didn’t start cooperating immediately.

“From some agencies, our team received exemplary cooperation … from others, most notable, the Department of Defense, we encountered obstruction from the political leadership of that department,” Biden said in remarks delivered after a briefing with his national security and foreign policy advisers.

“Right now, as our nation is in a period of transition, we need to make sure that nothing is lost in the hand-off between administrations,” Biden said. “My team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies.”

He then added, “We need full visibility into the budget planning underway at the Defense Department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch up that our adversaries may try to exploit.”

Biden then called out the current administration for their “irresponsibility” in protecting the nation.

“Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas,” he said. “It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility. Rebuilding the full set of our instruments of foreign policy and national security is a key challenge that the Vice President-elect Harris and I will face upon taking office, starting with our diplomacy.”

Watch the video below.

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2020 Road to the White House

Buttigieg on Ambassador James Hormel: ‘He Helped Pave the Way’

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Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg served as the 32nd mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020 before running as a presidential candidate against his potential new boss, Biden.

If approved, Buttigieg would become the nation’s first out Senate-confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet secretary.

“This weekend I had the privilege of talking with Ambassador James Hormel, who broke a barrier as the first openly LGBTQ nominee sent to the Senate,” Buttigieg tweeted on Sunday. “Ultimately he was denied even a vote and served through a recess appointment—but helped pave the way for so many, including me.”

Two hours earlier, Buttigieg tweeted, “Black and brown neighborhoods have been disproportionately divided by highway projects or left isolated by the lack of adequate transit and transportation resources. In the Biden-Harris administration, we will make righting these wrongs an imperative.”

 

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