Trans activist and army vet describes the moment Joe Biden personally told her ‘trans rights are human rights’
When Charlotte Clymer met Joe Biden he pointed at her heart and said “trans rights are human rights”. (cmclymer/ Twitter)
A trans activist and veteran has described the moment Joe Biden personally told her “trans rights are human rights”, sweeping away any scepticism she had about his commitment to equality.
Charlotte Clymer, an activist, writer, a former press secretary for Human Rights Campaign and an army veteran, said that although Biden is often applauded for supporting equal marriage in US back in 2012, while Barack Obama was still officially “evolving” on the issue, his long history of supporting trans and non-binary people is often overlooked.
From endorsing Danica Roem, the first openly trans person elected to US state legislature, in 2017, to his strong LGBT+ policy plan during his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden has come out in support of trans people time and time again, Clymer wrote an op-ed for USA Today.
“Even the most ardent progressives would have to concede that Biden is unusually knowledgeable on LGBTQ equality, and it shows,” she wrote.
“And yet, I will admit to having been skeptical myself until I met him.”
Clymer said she met Biden at a presidential forum in 2019, and when she directly asked him about trans rights, “he got very serious”.
“His face changed, he leaned in, and pointed his finger at my heart,” she wrote.
“He said ‘trans rights are human rights’ and talked with me about his plans to ensure no LGBTQ person gets left behind.
“I’ve had conversations with other politicians who publicly supported LGBTQ people but betrayed a surface-level knowledge and commitment in private. Biden is not one of them.
“His commitment to equality runs deep. You can feel it in your bones when you talk to him.”
I met Joe Biden last year. He was kind, thoughtful, and completely engaged. When I brought up trans rights, he got very serious. He leaned in and with a finger pointed my way, said: “I am in this fight with you. Trans rights are human rights.”
I believe him. #Biden2020 pic.twitter.com/Ike1jDVxIU
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) April 13, 2020
The trans activist added: “For Joe Biden, what matters is that all people can live and work in their full authenticity and provide for their families without threat to their safety and dignity.
“To him, we are not LGBTQ people in need of enhanced cultural framing but people who happen to be LGBTQ and deserve to have an equal stake in society just like everyone else, no better or worse.
“Joe Biden doesn’t have to guess or pander about the lived experiences of LGBTQ people.
“He already knows us. He’s part of our family.”
