The political action committee formed by formed by leaders of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, Equality PAC, has formally endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Democrat presidential primary race.
“The Equality PAC is thrilled to endorse Secretary Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the Presidency,” said Equality PAC Co-Chair Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA). “For more than 20 years, Secretary Clinton has worked to break down barriers for LGBT Americans and our families. In the Senate, she fought for employment non-discrimination and increased funding to combat HIV/AIDS. She helped lead the successful efforts to block a federal amendment banning marriage equality. As Secretary of State, she led the most LGBT-friendly State Department in American history. She ensured that State Department employees in same-sex relationships received the same rights as their colleagues, and made it easier for transgender Americans to acquire passports reflecting their true gender. Under President Obama, LGBT Americans have learned how important it is to have a president who will stand with us against those who would deny us equality. We will have the same sort of advocate in President Hillary Clinton, and so we are proud to endorse her in this campaign.”
Clinton reacted to the endorsement via press release, saying “I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the Equality PAC and the leaders of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, who are fighting every day for full and equal rights for LGBT Americans. We achieved a tremendous victory in the fight to make our country fairer and freer for all Americans when marriage equality became the law of the land last spring. But we all know our work is far from over. Too many LGBT Americans still face discrimination — in employment, in housing, in education, in health care — because of who they are or who they love. And the stakes in this election couldn’t be higher. The Republican candidates for president have made it clear that, if elected, they won’t stand with the LGBT community as they fight for the rights we all deserve.
“As President, I will continue to fight alongside the LGBT community to pass the Equality Act and end discrimination in all its forms. I will fight to end the dangerous practice of ‘conversion therapy’ on minors and confront the epidemic of violence facing the transgender community, especially transgender women of color. And I will continue the efforts I led as Secretary of State to advance the human rights of LGBT people around the world.
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“And we need to recognize and honor the strength, courage, and determination of the advocates, activists, and countless heroic individuals who told us all that ‘Silence = Death’ and brought the AIDS crisis to the forefront of the national consciousness in the 1980s. They fought on the front lines of the crisis, from hospital wards and bedsides, some with their last breath — and without them, we would not be where we are today in preventing and treating HIV and AIDS. They saved lives. And we can save more. We need to expand access to HIV prevention and treatment, work with states to remove outdated and stigmatizing HIV criminalization laws, and fight at every moment to achieve that which is at last within our reach: an AIDS-free generation. I’m proud to stand with the Equality PAC in this fight to make our country and our world more just, fair, and equal.”
Clinton’s campaign was recently clouded with controversy after she “misspoke” about Nancy Reagan’s involvement in fighting the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s. She has since apologized.
