Sprout Dickerson

Images by Michael Vadon & Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The highly anticipated 2024 election has many citizens still questioning where their vote will reside, especially queer and trans voters. According to the Williamson Institute, about 5.5 percent of U.S. adults identify with an identity within the LGBTQ+ umbrella. That’s 13.9 million people–13.9 million voters. 

Here’s a guide to the candidates and their stances on various LGBTQ+ issues in the upcoming election.

Kamala Harris, running with Tim Walz, is the Democratic candidate. 

Harris, under the Biden administration, has helped expand LGBTQ+ rights by ensuring federal agencies protect individuals from discrimination. 

Walz is the Governor of Minnesota. He was formerly in education and has served as an advisor for a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) club. It was Walz’s goal to make everyone feel safe, Harris said. 

Harris has spoken out about the anti-LGBTQ+ book bans in schools, saying that “many of them are against either an LGBTQ+ author or have subject matter that is about LGBTQ+ subjects and people.… It is incumbent on us who believe in the strength of diversity and the importance of unity to build coalition.” Harris’ administration has also hired a book ban coordinator, Matt Nosanchuk, to monitor book bans throughout the country and act when necessary.

While being a district attorney in California, Harris established a hate crime unit to investigate anti-LGBTQ+ crimes against the youth population. During this time, she also helped eliminate the gay and transgender “panic” defense claim, which previously allowed perpetrators to argue that a victim’s identity causes panic which incited violence.

Although Harris backs marriage equality, parts of her policy record do cause worry for some voters. In the past, Harris’ office attempted to block gender-affirming care for a prison inmate. 

She has since taken responsibility for the action, and expresses support for medical care, which brought her scrutiny from her opponent Donald Trump during the ABC Presidential Debate.

Trump, running with JD Vance, is the Republican candidate.

Although Trump does not oppose same-sex marriage, his administration does not plan to introduce protections for individuals identifying as LGBTQ+.

According to ACLU, Trump’s administration intends to reverse policies that protect queer and gender-diverse individuals from identity-based discrimination. 

Although there are no current laws in place federally that prevent anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the housing market, House Bill 5, The Equality Act, might aim to change that. 

The Equality act intends to expand Title IV and Title VII protections to sexuality and gender identity in education and employment. It also would expand the Fair Housing Act to include protections for queer and transgender people in public and private housing. 

Trump openly opposes this bill, despite his administration stating that they do not support discrimination, his administration citing violation of “parental and conscience rights.”

Trump’s vice presidential pick, Republican Senator JD Vance for Ohio, introduced bills that pose restrictions for gender-affirming care for gender-diverse youth. Trump appears to support similar initiatives, according to his campaign site. 

Although both Harris and Trump claim to be pro-equality and anti-discrimination, neither candidate is perfect. But, there is no need to worry. Results from both the Congressional and Presidential elections will vary and there are still opportunities for protections for LGBTQ+ Americans. 

—

Ari Collins (she/they) is a first-year journalism student at Kent State with a special interest in politics and the power of young voices. She has previously written Op-Ed and editorial content regarding Ohio LGBTQ+ issues and wants to continue this effort to give perspective and encourage young voters to use their political power.