Biden’s triumph over Trump is a watershed moment for LGBT+ people around the world
After an agonising wait, Joe Biden finally gained the coveted electoral college votes needed to win the US presidential election and much of the world breathed a sigh of relief. Donald Trump, the demagogue-in-chief, had finally lost the race, to the joy of the liberal-minded and “bleeding-hearted” (to borrow a phrase from the 2016 Trumpian playbook), who could finally revel in collectively “firing” the former reality television star.
But for the LGBTQ+ community, alongside other minority groups, this election wasn’t a mere political race between two candidates: it was a life-changing moment which would determine their entire futures. In the wake of seeing hard-won achievements eroded and the global safety of LGBTQ+ rights rendered increasingly precarious, Biden’s nomination to the presidency stands as a watershed triumph, not only for queer Americans, but for queer people around the world.
The past four years with Trump at the helm have been a rough ride for the LGBTQ+ community across the US. For a country which had fast-forwarded from same-sex sexual activity still being illegal in 14 states as late as 2003 to gay marriage being legalised nationwide a mere 12 years later, experiencing such a bump in the path to full LGBTQ+ equality has been concerning to say the least.
However the Trump team may have occasionally tried to depict itself as queer-friendly, more recently seen in the widely-ridiculed “Trump Pride” event, the administration has shown consistent signs of hostility towards LGBTQ+ rights, exhibited from the subtlest shifts of tone to the boldest policies.
The list of setbacks which the community has faced under Trump would be too long to enumerate (181 to this day, according to GLAAD), but a few of the more blatant examples - from barring transgender individuals from joining the military and attempting to roll back anti-discrimination protections to banning US embassies from flying the rainbow Pride flag - suffice in painting a pretty dire picture.
There will undoubtedly be certain individuals who, upon looking at Biden’s track record on LGBTQ+ rights, might still have reservations on the strength of his allegiance to the community. Indeed, despite his instrumental role in pushing Barack Obama’s support for same-sex marriage back in 2012, some of his previous stances and comments haven’t exactly stood the test of time.
But while he may not have been a luminary in the cause for queer liberation prior to the beginning of the new millennium, he will now enter the White House as a solid, unwavering ally to queer Americans. He made sure to acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community in his victory speech last Saturday, making it the first time transgender people have been explicitly mentioned in such an address by the president-elect. The value of such acts of solidarity is not lost on Harris as well, who has her pronouns listed on her Twitter bio – a small, but significant, sign of queer alliance.
The impact which these gestures have on the LGBTQ+ community is palpable. After years of explosive rhetoric and repressive policies from a man who reserved few words of kindness for his country’s queer citizens (other than retweeting claims of being “the most pro-gay” president of all time), even simple affirmations of support can make a profound difference.
One particularly touching example comes from Charlotte Clymer, an activist and army veteran who came out as transgender three years ago. In a recent tweet, she explained how she was moved to tears after hearing the election result, especially after remembering the simple affirmation the president-elect had told her a year ago: “I am in this fight with you. Trans rights are human rights.”
The significance which Biden’s victory has for the LGBTQ+ community, nevertheless, is far from relegated to the US. The nation’s hegemonic influence over the rest of the world is so well-established it requires no further explanation, alongside its pioneering role in catalysing socio-political change. Lest we forget, Pride and the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement were born in America.
The effect which Trump and his brash, populist approach have had on the global political scene is undeniable, and such an attitude is typically accompanied by repressive stances on social issues, with LGBTQ-related matters among those at the forefront. Indeed, the consolidation of right-wing nationalism over the past few years has seen LGBTQ+ rights come under threat in countries which had grown increasingly accepting and tolerant, at a time when many other places were starting to take their first significant steps.
Around the same years that India and Botswana were decriminalising same-sex sexual activity, Brazil was electing a president with a history of virulently anti-gay remarks, while numerous municipalities across Poland were setting up “LGBT-free zones”. We tend to view progress as a linear, one-way process, but a quick look back to 1920s Weimar Germany, or even the US itself in the 1970s, shows how the path to equality for the LGBTQ+ community is marred with setbacks after periods of long strides forward.
The upward trajectory of both the US and the rest of the world’s future should by no means be seen as guaranteed, and for this reason, a further four years of Trump in the White House could have had devastating and potentially irrevocable impacts on LGBTQ+ rights well beyond America’s shores.
Reflecting upon the global importance of the US election result, I’m drawn to a statement made earlier this year by writer and activist Adam Eli: “Queer people anywhere are responsible for queer people everywhere”. This phrase perfectly illustrates the dynamic which exists when dealing not only with the LGBTQ+ community, but all other marginalised groups. What happens to the LGBTQ+ community in a specific place doesn’t occur in a vacuum. And an attack on queer people anywhere, or on the reverse, a victory for them, applies to the whole LGBTQ+ community – even more so when talking about a country as powerful as the US.
Biden’s victory thus stands as a pivotal moment for LGBTQ+ people everywhere. Both he and Harris will certainly have to prove themselves, to make sure their actions reflect their words, but their rhetoric alone is already a powerful repudiation of Trumpism and its regressive values.
