2020 Democratic presidential candidate Senator Kirsten Gillibrand served up drinks at Des Moines, Iowa gay bar The Blazing Saddle on Friday, and was spotted shopping for LGBTQ Pride gear with Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of her rival, South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Gillibrand this week released a lengthy LGBTQ agenda in a post published to Medium. The agenda included passing the Equality Act immediately, permanently codifying marriage equality as the law of the land, barring discrimination by adoption and foster care agencies, require hospitals to offer gender-neutral forms, tackling mental health among LGBTQ youth, enacting a nationwide ban on conversion therapy, addressing hate crimes against LGBTQ people of color, and more.
Added Gillibrand: “Here’s my biggest commitment of all: I won’t stop at the policies I’ve outlined today when it comes to fighting for LGBTQ families and individuals. The LGBTQ community is not a monolith with a finite set of needs, and equal rights and freedom from discrimination should be the bare minimum we accept. LGBTQ people deserve to live, work, raise families, and succeed just like anyone else — and LGBTQ kids deserve to grow up in a country that supports and encourages them. I’ll fight for them and their futures fiercely, just like I’d fight for my own family. As president, I will do more than defend LGBTQ rights — I will stand shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTQ community in the fight for equality. We’re in this together, because LGBTQ rights are human rights. And we will fight for them.”
