In every presidential election, certain issues are pushed to the forefront, while others rarely cross a voter's mind. If you have been slightly in touch with the current presidential election, you know that immigration and national defense have become overwhelmingly the center of the debates and media coverage. In no way will I underplay the importance of both of those issues, but the American electorate has totally ignored LGBTQA issues.

After the historic Supreme Court decision that granted marital rights to gay and lesbian couples, many Americans turned their heads on the group entirely. We did see the controversial debate over the North Carolina's HB2 or the bathroom bill, but little was done in response. Several figures denounced the bill and the transgender community was merely given fifteen minutes of attention.

Many may question why I feel this is still an important issue to talk about since all the progress in recent years for the LGBTQA community, but there is still much suppression in the LGBTQA community. For example, only twenty states have legislation that protects people in the public and private sector from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That is not progress. Not only are some states not allowing LGBTQA people to have fair employment, but in thirty-three states, it is legal to discriminate in housing based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The legal discrimination creates a precedent for general discrimination and hatred of the LGBTQA community. In a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, thirty-seven percent of Americans still oppose gay marriage, even though it is considered legal in all fifty states. Violence against LGBTQA members demonstrates the unwarranted hatred towards the LGBTQA. In a 2016 FBI study, it was determined LGBTQA members were twice as likely to be the target of a hate crime as African Americans.

If you still don't think this is an important issue in this election examine Mike Pence's tenure as Indiana governor. In 2015, Mike Pence signed a bill into law called the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act. It allowed for discrimination based on sexual identity and gender orientation based on religious objections. He is a candidate for Vice President of the United States of America and potentially a huge policy influencer.

LGBTQA issues are long from being over and we should demand Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to address the issue. I just hope if the debate moderators will not discuss LGBTQA issues, then the American people will address the rights of eight million Americans.