Washington (AP) – President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order statement Wednesday to stop what he calls discriminatory legislative attacks on the LGBTQ community of Republican -controlled states, activists said before the signing ceremony that “pride returns to White House “.
The mandate aims at “conversion therapy” – a discredited practice – to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity – to facilitate gender -sensitive surgery and expand custody of gay parents and children and transgender.
Using funds already allocated to federal agencies instead of soliciting new funding, Biden said the law is targeted against more than 300 anti-LGBTQ laws introduced by state lawmakers just last year. . The Department of Health and Human Services will develop new policies to expand care for LGBTQ families, and the Department of Education will develop rules to better protect LGBTQ students in public schools.
The President, First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attended a crowded reception in the east room of the White House, where the adjacent corridor was decorated with rainbow colors. Attending were LGBTQ activists, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress, and senior administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Butiji, who sheltered the twins with his wife Chasten.
The meeting was part of the Biden Administration’s recognition of Pride Month.
“All of you in this room know that these attacks are real and effective for the royal family,” the president said before the order was signed. He specifically referred to the arrest of 31 members of the White House Patriotic Front near the Idaho Pride event over the weekend.
The actions listed in the ordinance aim to strengthen programs that better address the issue of suicide among LGBTQ children and aim to facilitate adoption for LGBTQ parents and children.
“You don’t have to be brave to be yourself,” said Jill Biden, noting that sunny Washington in the summer is too hot and humid to host an event on the South Lawn. “We know that in places like Florida, Texas or Alabama, rights are being attacked. We know that superstition and discrimination are still lurking in cities and towns.”
Among the state laws challenged by the White House is the so -called “Don’t Say Gay” event in Florida, signed by Republican Governor Ron Desantis in March. It prohibits the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Critics say it excludes LGBTQ people and the law has led to a public battle between the state and Walt Disney Co ..
Biden’s action created a federal working group to help combat LGBTQ homelessness and to advance educational policies in states and school districts that promote an inclusive environment in which education for LGBTQ children. His mandate also sets new rules to prevent conversion therapy, though attempts to impose prohibitions against him in areas where state law allows the practice will be based on outside legal challenges. of the White House.
While some Republican legislatures support speech therapy, other states and communities have banned it. The American Psychological Association states that speech therapy is not based on science and is detrimental to a participant’s mental health.
The ordinance also instructs health officials to clarify that federally funded programs cannot be used to fund conversion therapy. And it seeks to alleviate barriers to certain types of health care and treatment in the LGBTQ community, including gender reassignment surgery.
This follows Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s order in February to the Texas Child Welfare Agency to investigate reports of child sexual assistance as violence. The judge then issued a restraining order, suspending the investigation of three families and restraining another.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Biden said. “In Texas, there’s a knock on the door for harassment and investigation of parents raising transgender children. In Florida, Mickey Mouse is being persecuted for God’s sake.
In previous mandates, Biden has tried the direction that gays and transgender people are protected from discrimination in schools, health care, housing and employment. It ordered federal agencies to update and expand regulations prohibiting gender discrimination, including sexual orientation and gender identity, and removed the ban on transgender people serving in the military.
On Wednesday, Biden also renewed appeals to Congress to pass the Equality Act, which amends existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The event was suspended on Capitol Hill, but the president said it was necessary “to establish a lasting overdue protection of the civil rights of all Americans, all Americans.”
Source: Huffpost
