Fair Wisconsin PAC, Wisconsin’s only statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization, announced their endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States today.
Abigail Swetz, Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin, issued the following statement:
“Vice President Kamala Harris is the leader for this moment. At every level of her career, she has been a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and protector of our rights as individuals to live our lives safely and authentically.
On issue after issue, Vice President Harris stands with the LGBTQ+ community. As District Attorney in San Francisco, Harris fought against hate crimes, and as California’s Attorney General, she worked to end the so-called “panic defense” and refused to defend the ban on marriage equality in California. In fact, Harris gave the order to begin reissuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples in California after the Supreme Court ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional.
Harris championed the Equality Act as a Senator, and the Respect for Marriage Act as Vice President. The Biden Harris administration has strengthened LGBTQ+ students’ rights under Title IX and ended the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military.
Harris’ record shows her commitment to rights and protections that are specific to LGBTQ+ individuals, like the right to marriage equality and protections for federal employees who are LGBTQ+, and also her commitment to policies that address issues disproportionately impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
Reproductive rights are an LGBTQ+ issue. Harris is the first sitting Vice President to visit a reproductive health and abortion clinic, and has promised to sign legislation codifying access to abortion into law. Our community needs access to safe and legal abortion; this also speaks to the issue of bodily autonomy, something that is under threat for our trans and nonbinary siblings. Harris is the leader we need for reproductive rights.
Gun law reform is an LGBTQ+ issue. Harris leads the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the Biden Harris Administration, the first-ever office of its kind, and the administration succeeded in passing the most substantive gun reform law in three decades. Harris has committed to expanding this work to include red flag laws. Our community has been attacked in tragedies like the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub, and also beset with individual tragedies because members of our community struggle with suicidal ideation; in a country where the majority of gun deaths are by suicide, gun law reform will save lives, including LGBTQ+ lives. Harris is the leader we need for gun law reform.
Health care is an LGBTQ+ issue. As Senator, Harris introduced the Maternal CARES Act and the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act; she also led the Biden Harris administration’s policy on removing medical debt from credit reports. The bipartisan Infrastructure Act capped the cost of insulin, and the Biden Harris administration continues to work on lowering other drug prices. Our community is underinsured and faces unique challenges in access to equitable and high-quality comprehensive health care. Harris is the leader we need for health care.
Immigration is an LGBTQ+ issue. Workers’ rights are an LGBTQ+ issue. Environmental justice is an LGBTQ+ issue. Racial justice is an LGBTQ+ issue, and democracy is an LGBTQ+ imperative. On every one of these issues, Harris is the leader we need.
At a time when our politics is so often ugly and dark, Vice President Harris brings a joy and a hope to her campaign, along with an inspiring passion and conviction for her work. We proudly endorse Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States.”
Fair Wisconsin PAC endorses Kamala Harris for President, and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that she is elected in November 2024. For information on Fair Wisconsin’s first round of endorsements in key legislative races, please visit the Fair Wisconsin PAC webpage.
