It looks like Hillary Clinton has changed her mind about LGBT rights. Once lukewarm to the LGBT community, the former US Secretary of State has completely come around to the point that she’s listed 10 promises for the community as Democratic candidate in the upcoming US presidential elections.
Of course, this raises the question: if she does get elected, will she keep her promises?
Hillary Clinton’s 10 promises
In a recent speech before the LGBT activist group, Human Rights Campaign, in Washington, DC, Clinton not only declared extensive support for more LGBT protections, she listed down 10 promises she hopes to fulfill if ever she gets elected.
These include:
1. End injustice against LGBT Americans “once and for all.”
2. Advocate for and sign the federal Equality Act into law.
3. Cap out-of-pocket expenses for people living with chronic illnesses, including HIV and AIDS.
4. Upgrade the discharges of all LGB veterans dismissed under “don’t ask, don’t tell” (which her husband signed into law in 1993) and the earlier military ban on homosexuality.
5. Support the Pentagon’s current review of the long-standing ban on military service by out transgender Americans, who “shouldn’t have to … [keep] this core part of their identities under wraps.”
6. Cut off federal funding for adoption agencies that discriminate against LGBT parents.
7. Stand up against antigay school policies.
8. Protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for transgender people, especially trans women of color.
9. Defend LGBT rights abroad, including bailing out jailed LGBT activists.
10. End anti-LGBT discrimination completely “at home and abroad.”
Hillary Clinton’s previous positions
It’s interesting to note Hillary’s all-out support for LGBT rights, given her previous opinion on the matter. Before, she was not as supportive either as Secretary of State or when she was directing her political career as US senator for New York.
However, she did admit this in her speech: “I’m really here to say ‘thank you’ for your hard work and your courage and for insisting that what’s right is right. You’ve helped change a lot of minds, including mine, and I am personally very grateful for that.”
“Our work isn’t finished until every single person is treated with equal rights and dignity that they deserve; no matter how old they are, no matter where they live, whether it’s New York or Wyoming or anywhere else,” she added.
What do you think? Would you vote for Hillary Clinton and hope that she keeps her 10 promises? Or do you find her promises hard to believe? Sound off in the comment section below!