President Joe Biden celebrated Pride Month at the White House on Wednesday with an executive order aimed at combating the spate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have passed state legislatures in recent months.
Referring to the bills as “ultra-MAGA agenda,” Biden referenced last weekend’s foiled plot by a group of white supremacists to riot at a Pride Event in Idaho, saying the “attacks are real and consequential for real families.”
“They're disgusting. And they have to stop,” the president said of attacks on the LGBTQI+ community, in particular against transgender women and women of color. “Right now, there are young people sitting in their bedroom, doors closed, silent, scrolling through social media, staring at the ceiling, wondering if they'll ever be loved, ever marry, ever have a family and be accepted by their own families.”
The actions announced by the White House on Wednesday aim to address the mounting legal barriers facing the LGBTQI+ community and focus on five specific pillars:
Addressing statewide legislation that discriminates against LGBTQI+ youth and families
Stopping the practice of “conversion therapy”
Promoting gender-affirming care and other programs to address LGBTQI+ mental health
Launching a new effort to protect LGBTQI+ foster youth and prevent homelessess
Strengthening support for older members of the LGBTQI+ community and expanding federal data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity
State lawmakers have, in recent months, pushed for restrictions on LGBTQ+ individuals that vary in both scope and scale. According to a White House tally, around 300 such pieces of legislation have been introduced in state legislatures in the past year alone.
“I'm about to sign an executive order that directs key federal agencies to protect our communities from those hateful attacks and advance equality for families,” Biden said Wednesday.
In Alabama, for example, it is a crime for doctors to treat trans people under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones to help affirm their gender identity. In Florida, gay rights advocates are suing Gov. Ron DeSantis to block a new law that forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In Texas, Gov. Gregg Abbott has directed state agencies to consider placing transgender children in foster care, though a judge has temporarily blocked such investigations.
The president was introduced by Javier Gomez, a recent high school graduate from Florida, who spoke about how his fifth grade teacher – who openly identified as gay – helped Gomez with coming out later on in his own life.
“I fear other students in Florida and across the country would not be able to get the same support because of hateful legislation like the ‘Don't Say Gay’ bill,” the 18-year-old said. “But my presence here is a testament that we are fighting back. Because our lives are glorious, beautiful and worthy.”
Biden on Wednesday tasked the Department of Education with “addressing the impacts of state laws that target LGBTQI+ students,” with the objective of producing sample school policies to promote inclusion for students in the community. He also charged the Department of Health and Human Services to release sample policies for states on how they can “expand access to comprehensive health care for LGBTQI+ patients,” per the White House.
The president also directed HHS to launch an effort to reduce the risk of “conversion therapy,” a widely-condemned practice that aims to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity with the “specific aim to promote heterosexuality as a preferable outcome,” per the The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
AACAP, along with most other medical organizations, say conversion therapies “lack scientific credibility and clinical utility,” and can actually exacerbate mental health problems.
The actions also focus on the mental health of LGBTQI+ youth, a group that experienced a worsening mental health crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic. A report from the Trevor Project, released in early May, found that 45% of young LGBTQI+ individuals had “seriously considered” suicide within the past year alone.
Even more LGBTQI+ youth reported feelings of anxiety or depression in the past year, according to the Trevor Project. Data showed 73% of respondents reported anxiety-related symptoms while around 58% reported feelings of depression within the past year.
The reasons reported for the various feelings of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts varied widely by demographic and even geographical location of the respondent.
Transgender and nonbinary youths were particularly concerned about the spate of anti-trans legislation being passed in GOP-led states, with 93% of transgender and nonbinary respondents saying they had worried about being denied access to gender-affirming care within the past year. Another 83% of transgender and nonbinary respondents said they were concerned about transgender youths being allowed to participate in sports activities because of local laws and regulations.
Biden on Wednesday ordered HHS to “work with states to promote expanded access to gender-affirming care,” as well as “expanding youth access to suicide prevention resources,” per the White House.
“My message to all the young people: just be you,” Biden said near the end of Wednesday’s event. “You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You do belong. And I want you to know that as your president, all of us on this stage have your back.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.