This year, President Biden began Pride Month by stating on social media that “your president and my entire Administration have your back.” At a recent campaign event in Las Vegas, the former president of the United States criticized trans women for participating in sports and remained silent on social media about LGBTQ+ problems.
Polar opposites on pride
These top two presidential contenders have different opinions on LGBTQ+ issues, in case it wasn’t obvious. During his administration, Biden has celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility and Pride Month, spoken out on social media about issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, and shown support for them. Greater access to care that is gender affirming and antidiscrimination protections against sexual orientation and gender identity have been goals of his administration. Consequently, he has garnered the support of prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations like the Human Rights Campaign. Trump’s record includes limiting the rights of transgender military personnel and eliminating anti-discrimination laws.
Trump’s administration did not focus much on LGBTQ+ issues, but his 2020 campaign featured “Trump Pride ” outreach aimed at LGBTQ+ supporters. He was backed in 2020 by Log Cabin Republicans, a group that speaks for conservatives who are LGBTQ+. The organization mentioned efforts by the Trump administration to combat the global criminalization of homosexuality and to confront the growing HIV epidemic. Richard Grenell, the first openly homosexual cabinet secretary, was also chosen by Trump to the position of interim director of national intelligence.
A Tale of two agendas
While Trump has been more tolerant of LGBTQ+ issues than his Republican rivals, most of his positions are far different from Biden’s, particularly when it comes to transgender Americans. Prior to reaching a similar position that supports homosexual rights, both Trump and Biden had undergone changes in their positions on marriage equality. During an interview on “Meet the Press” in 2012, Biden made his support for same-sex marriage known in public. He stated that weddings, regardless of whether they involve lesbians, gay men, or heterosexuals, are fundamentally about love.
Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act in December 2022, which established legal safeguards in the event that the Supreme Court overturned its 2015 ruling on marriage equality and nationally recognized same-sex and multiracial unions. During his administration, the Social Security Administration, the State Department, and the Department of Veterans Affairs modified their policy to allow same-sex couples to receive benefits.
Leadership on LGBTQ+ rights
Additionally, despite his claims that he has supported homosexual couples since he was a young man, Biden’s prior policy choices do not corroborate this claim. In 1996, while serving as a senator for the United States, Biden supported the Defense of Marriage Act, which limited marriage to a partnership between a man and a woman. Biden stated during his 2008 vice presidential campaign that he was in favor of same-sex couples receiving equal advantages, but not of legal marriage.
Speaking out against same-sex marriage in interviews before he was elected president, Trump claimed to be in favor of “traditional marriage.” He declared in 2016 that he would think about selecting justices to reverse the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. However, he quickly reversed course after winning election, characterizing the matter as settled.
| Issue | Biden’s Position | Trump’s Position |
| Marriage equality | encourages same-sex unions | encourages same-sex unions |
| Rights Against Discrimination for LGBTQ+ | favors amending the Civil Rights Act with the Equality Act to include safeguards for LGBTQ+ people. | rolled away Obama-era safeguards for LGBTQ+ individuals in the healthcare system and other domains |
| Military Service by Transgender Personnel | repealed the Trump-imposed ban on transgender military service | enacted legislation prohibiting openly transgender military personnel |
| Gender-Conforming Youth Care | supports transgender youth’s access to care that is gender affirming | attempted to pass laws against “child sexual mutilation,” falsely calling treatment that promotes gender equality “mutilation.” |
| LGBTQ+ Inclusion | suggested openly lesbian Filipina-American Gina Ortiz Jones for the position of Air Force Undersecretary | designated Richard Grenell as acting director of national intelligence; Grenell was the first openly homosexual cabinet secretary. |
A Presidency of contrast
As others have remarked, one of the things that distinguished Trump from other Republicans at the time was that he did not make a big deal out of supporting or opposing same-sex marriage during his administration or political platform. Biden has put in place laws that permit open service by LGBTQ+ personnel in the armed forces. Trump sought to limit transgender people’s ability to serve in the military. According to a tweet sent by Trump in July 2017, “the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” In 2016, an Obama administration policy permitting transgender persons to serve openly was reversed.
