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Nine Democratic Candidates Speak at CNN Equality Town Hall At CNN Equality Town Hall Activists Took the Spotlight — and the Mic
(about 1 hour later)
LOS ANGELES — In a sign of how gay rights have become an essential part of the party’s platform, nine Democratic presidential hopefuls participated Thursday evening in the second forum of this primary season that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. LOS ANGELES — During a nationally televised forum on Thursday focusing on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues, several Democratic presidential candidates were interrupted by transgender activists who repeatedly called for more focus on the murders of African-American transgender women and said that the forum had not done enough to include their voices.
The CNN L.G.B.T.Q. town hall featured questions from the audience, which was filled with activists and many health and social work professionals who work in the gay community. The questions included topics such as family leave for gay couples, violence against transgender individuals and the conflicts between religious freedom and L.G.B.T.Q. rights. Ultimately, one woman took the microphone from an audience member while former Representative Beto O’Rourke was onstage.
“There has to be consequences for discrimination,” said Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. Mr. Booker, who was the first candidate at the forum, declined to directly answer a question about whether he would withhold money from private schools that discriminate against students based on gender identity or sexuality. “Black trans women are dying,” said the woman, who gave her name as Blossom C. Brown. “Our lives matter. I am an extraordinary black trans woman, and I deserve to be here.”
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., and the first openly gay presidential candidate, released an 18-page plan hours before the forum, saying he would rescind the policy that blocks military veterans from receiving insurance coverage for gender reassignment surgery, and add non-binary gender options on federal documents, including passports. The protesters first surfaced when Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., took the stage during the forum, which was sponsored by CNN and the Human Rights Campaign. Protesters greeted him waving large signs as they shouted for greater awareness of violence against transgender women of color.
Protesters calling for more attention on violence against the transgender community interrupted Mr. Buttigieg almost immediately after he began speaking. After they had quieted down, Mr. Buttigieg turned to them, saying, “I do want to acknowledge what these demonstrators were speaking about, which is the epidemic of violence against black trans women in this country right now.” He continued, “And I believe or would like to believe that everybody here is committed to ending that epidemic, and that does include lifting up its visibility and speaking to it.”
Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor who was interviewing Mr. Buttigieg said that the protesters should be applauded, noting that there was a long history of protest in the community. Mr. Buttigieg echoed the sentiment when he began speaking again. Another member of the audience interrupted Senator Kamala Harris of California, and while shouting, asked, “How do we get those men to stop killing of trans women of color? We are hunted.”
“There is no right or wrong way to be gay, to be queer, to be trans,” he said. “I hope that our own community, even as we struggle to define what our identity means, defines it in a way that lets everybody know that they belong among us.” “I know,” Ms. Harris said, addressing the questioner, “I know.”
Each of the candidates seemed to welcome the protesters, as did the CNN moderators, who praised them. Don Lemon returned a microphone to Ms. Brown saying, “The reason we are here is to validate women like you.”
The forum, which featured nine of the top Democratic presidential candidates, was a clear sign of how gay rights have become an essential part of the party’s platform. Several candidates said they would withhold aid from countries that condone discrimination against the L.G.B.T.Q. community and several said they would consider withholding money from nonprofit groups and schools that do not recognize same-sex couples.
The CNN Equality Town Hall featured questions from the audience, many of whom were activists and health and social work professionals who work in the gay community. The questions included topics such as family leave for gay couples, violence against transgender people and the conflicts between religious freedom and L.G.B.T.Q. rights.
Mr. Buttigieg, the first openly gay presidential candidate, released an 18-page plan hours before the forum, saying he would rescind the policy that blocks military veterans from receiving insurance coverage for gender reassignment surgery, and add non-binary gender options on federal documents, including passports.
Onstage, Mr. Buttigieg spoke in personal terms in several of his answers.
“There is no right or wrong way to be gay, to be queer, to be trans,” he said. “I hope that our own community, even as we struggle to define what our identity means, defines it in way that lets everybody know that they belong among us.”
Mr. Buttigieg also talked about his own process of coming out.Mr. Buttigieg also talked about his own process of coming out.
“What it was like was a civil war, because I knew I was different long before I knew I was gay,” he said. He also spoke in personal terms about donating blood, which is prohibited for men who have sex with men. “I can’t lead by example on this one, because my blood is not welcome in this country.” “What it was like was a civil war, because I knew I was different long before I knew I was gay,” he said, and pointed to the stigmas he still faces, such as the prohibition against blood donations for men who have sex with men. “I can’t lead by example on this one, because my blood is not welcome in this country.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also released plans on Thursday, saying that she would restore many Obama-era policies that the Trump administration has eliminated and crack down on “overly broad religious exemptions to nondiscrimination.” Ms. Warren also said she would ban so-called conversion therapy. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also released plans on Thursday, saying that she would restore many Obama-era policies that the Trump administration has eliminated and crack down on “overly broad religious exemptions to nondiscrimination.” Ms. Warren said she would ban so-called conversion therapy.
Senator Kamala Harris of California pledged Thursday to appoint transgender and gender-nonconforming people to her cabinet and to the federal judiciary. Asked during the town hall about a previous statement she had made during her 2012 campaign for senate, in which she said that transition-related surgery for a transgender inmate was not a good use of tax payer dollars, Ms. Warren said she regretted the answer and now believes it should be supported.
Julián Castro, the former housing secretary under President Barack Obama, has included transgender men in his reproductive health plan, saying that they too need access to abortions, a move that was welcomed by transgender advocates, who have said they were often left out of health care plans. “It was a bad answer,” she said. “I believe that everyone is entitled to medical care and medical care that they need and that includes people who are transgender” who seek “gender-affirming surgery.”
The candidates’ proposals make clear that they largely agree with one another on L.G.B.T.Q. issues and are making considerable efforts to court voters from the community. And the plans also show just how far the party has moved in the last decade. There were several moments of levity during the forum. One audience member asked Ms. Warren how she might respond to someone on the campaign trail say to her, “My faith teaches me that marriage is between one man and one woman.”
When Mr. Obama ran for president in 2008, he said he was opposed to same-sex marriage. That same year, California voters approved Proposition 8, a ballot measure that made same-sex marriage unconstitutional in the state. (In 2012, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said that he was “absolutely comfortable” with gay marriage, a stance Mr. Obama did not adopt until later that year.) She responded without missing a beat, “Well, I’m going to assume it’s a guy who said that,” Ms. Warren said flatly, “And I’m going to say, ‘Then just marry one woman. I’m cool with that.’”
She paused for a moment and then added: “If you can find one.”
The candidates’ proposals and comments make clear that they largely agree with one another on L.G.B.T.Q. issues and are making considerable efforts to court voters from the community. And the plans also show just how far the party has moved in the last decade.
When Mr. Obama ran for president in 2008, he said he was opposed to same-sex marriage. That same year, California voters approved Proposition 8, a ballot measure that made same-sex marriage unconstitutional in the state. In 2012, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said that he was “absolutely comfortable” with gay marriage, a stance Mr. Obama did not adopt until later that year.
“When I came out,” Mr. Biden began to say Thursday, referencing that decision. “Er, when I publicly stated,” he said, to roars of laughter from the audience. Mr. Biden then went on to talk about how dramatically attitudes toward the L.G.B.T.Q. community had changed. “The idea is normal,” he said. “It’s normalized, it’s not strange.”“When I came out,” Mr. Biden began to say Thursday, referencing that decision. “Er, when I publicly stated,” he said, to roars of laughter from the audience. Mr. Biden then went on to talk about how dramatically attitudes toward the L.G.B.T.Q. community had changed. “The idea is normal,” he said. “It’s normalized, it’s not strange.”
Alphonso David, the president of Human Rights Campaign, said that the candidates would differentiate themselves by explaining how they would implement their plans.
“It’s very nice to say that you support L.G.B.T. equality,” Mr. David said, speaking to reporters before the forum began. “How? How are you going to do that? How are you going to effectuate change? How will you effectuate change in a way that’s sustainable? How were you going to stop transgender violence?”
Today, 61 percent of voters say they support gay marriage, according to the Pew Research Center. But the support is somewhat split along party lines, with fewer than half of Republican voters supporting same-sex marriage, compared to three-quarters of Democrats, according to Pew. There are roughly 11 million L.G.B.T.Q. voters, according to Human Rights Campaign, and 57 million voters who consider themselves allies.
And the overall shift in public opinion has not translated to across the board gains for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The Trump administration has banned transgender individuals from serving in the military, prohibited embassies from flying rainbow flags, and is fighting a case in the Supreme Court that could rule that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and transgender status is prohibited under the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Several Democratic candidates, including Mr. Booker and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have said they would reverse the transgender military ban. Each of the participating candidates have also said they supported passing the Equality Act, federal legislation that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
During the previous L.G.B.T.Q. forum this year, Mr. Biden was pointedly questioned about his previous votes backing the bill that instituted the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the military, as well as the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage in 1996.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was the only top tier candidate who missed the event, having declined the invitation after suffering a heart attack last week, though he addressed the group by video before the forum began.
The entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who will both participate in the debate next week, declined the forum, citing scheduling conflicts, according to the event organizers.