The upcoming presidential election is still in its early stages. As with any election, it's already causing a lot of talk regarding the future of America. The LGBTQ community certainly has made much progress. However, there's still a lot of room for improvement. There's the argument of religious freedom, transgender rights, and even laws on disclosing your HIV status.
On October 10, the Democratic candidates gathered for an event called the "Equality Town Hall." It was sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and hosted by CNN. While the Democrats tried to position themselves as progressive, much of the event only highlighted the progress that still needs to be made.
For starters, Elizabeth Warren gave a problematic answer to a question about marriage equality. An audience member asked Warren what her response would be if one of her supporters said, "My faith teaches me that marriage should be between one man and one woman."
Warren answered, "Well, I'm gonna assume it's a guy who said that. And I'm gonna say, 'Then just marry one woman.'"
The crowd erupted in applause and social media followed suit. Warren was universally praised for her answer. Yet, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sexism, because she just assumed it would be coming from a man. Maybe she was referring to the portion of heterosexual men whose masculinity is threatened by homosexuality. If that's what she meant, then I can understand. But there are many conservative women who hold this position as well. Kim Davis, Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, and Michele Bachmann are just some that come to mind.
However, it wasn't just the candidates themselves who were problematic. The event was also interrupted by protests from the trans community. One trans woman, Blossom Brown, took the microphone from a young trans boy before he could ask his question. She was speaking about the plight of black trans women who are subjected to violence and murder. Don Lemon, who was moderating that portion of the town hall, attempted to reassure Brown that her plight wasn't being overlooked.
A group of protesters also interrupted Pete Buttigieg while someone asked him a question. They raised similar concerns that Brown had raised. They were particularly concerned with the lack of attention being given to these hate crimes in the mainstream media. Anderson Cooper applauded the group for their protests and Buttigieg also showed approval for the demonstration.
I have to admit, the protests rubbed me the wrong way. I don't want to take away their right to protest. Quite the contrary, I fully support their right to protest. I just have an issue with the way these protests were carried out.
Barging into a room and taking the microphone from someone isn't going to warm people up to your side. I think a better way to handle the issue would've been to ask a question at the microphone like everybody else. It was a town hall setup after all. Participate in the event and use that as your opportunity to raise the issue of black trans women being ignored.
Beto O'Rourke also made headlines when he responded to a question about marriage equality. He said he churches would be taxed if they refused to hold same-sex marriage ceremonies. This ignited a debate over freedom of religion. Pete Buttigieg also spoke out, disapproving of O'Rourke's stance.
On one hand, O'Rourke and his supporters have a point. This wouldn't necessarily be taking away churches' right to refuse same-sex marriages. However, they still won't be treated fairly. I believe religion should evolve to a place where homophobia is highly uncommon. However, this will only give conservative religious people more ammunition to argue they're being discriminated against. It also goes against America's principle of separating church and state.
HIV transmission was another issue that came up during the town hall. Pete Buttigieg called laws against not informing a partner of your HIV positive status "unfair." He claimed the laws "need to change."
While there is evidence that if the virus is undetectable, it's untransmittable, the surrounding conversation is not that simple. First of all, there's the issue of consent. Second of all, just because someone was undetectable the last time they got tested, it doesn't mean it will stay that way. There's also the issue of those who are detectable who don't inform people of their HIV status.
I believe there should be legal consequences for people who knowingly give someone HIV without that person's knowledge. Some argue that this stance only encourages stigma and abuse of HIV positive people. I disagree because we're not talking about all HIV positive people. We're talking about people who are deliberately trying to harm others. I don't think the same should happen to those who are unaware of their status. If that's the case, proof should be provided in court to show if or when the person got tested.
While these issues didn't get the desired responses, I appreciate the fact that they're being discussed at all. I also question how honest the candidates were being at the event. Let's not forget, they're politicians. A lot of times they will say things just because that's what they think people want to hear.
However, I remember a time when an LGBTQ town hall of this magnitude was unheard of. When I was in high school, the Bush administration was against marriage equality. When I started college, Barack Obama was also against marriage equality when he first ran for president. The fact that these issues are now being taken seriously is a huge step. The fact that the candidates are attempting to be on the right side of history is a good thing. That is what still makes me feel hopeful about our future as a community.