News (USA)

Human Rights Campaign endorses Hillary Clinton

Human Rights Campaign endorses Hillary Clinton

The Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest and most politically connected LGBTQ organization, has endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in an announcement released this morning. Clinton will accept the endorsement next week at an event in Iowa.

“All the progress we have made as a nation on LGBT equality — and all the progress we have yet to make — is at stake in November,” HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement released to the press. “In most states, LGBT people are still at risk of being fired, evicted or denied services simply because of who they are. Today, 63 percent of LGBT Americans report having experienced such discrimination, and we are seeing other troubling trends, from the onslaught of state and local anti-LGBT measures to the national scourge of anti-transgender violence to backsliding on HIV/AIDS prevention and youth homelessness. Against this backdrop, we’ve heard the leading Republican presidential candidates repeatedly threaten to block our progress, and to revoke, repeal, and overturn the gains we’ve made during President Obama’s two terms.”

“While they fight to take us backwards, Hillary Clinton is fighting to advance LGBT equality across our nation and throughout the world,” Griffin continued. “We are proud to endorse Hillary Clinton for president, and believe that she is the champion we can count on in November — and every day she occupies the Oval Office.”

The organization cited Clinton’s advocacy for LGBT rights worldwide during her tenure as Secretary of State and her “strong record on key votes and legislation” as a Senator from New York as reasons for their endorsement. Clinton was the last candidate in the three person race for the Democrat nomination to publicly “evolve” on same-sex marriage rights.

The group listed “support for issues of concern to the community, demonstrated leadership on LGBT issues, and viability” as the criteria for earning their endorsement. They did not poll their membership to determine the results. So far, every progressive organization or labor union who has asked their membership to decide their nomination has picked Senator Bernie Sanders.

Clinton spoke at the Human Rights Campaign’s board meeting in late 2015 and in March 2007. The organization went on to endorse Senator Barack Obama in 2008.

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