Washington — President Biden signed a presidential order on Wednesday aimed at protecting LGBTQ people from a series of conservative state laws that increasingly target the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender youth. did.
The order is intended to counter the efforts of Republican politicians such as Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Other laws passed in conservative states include efforts to ban transgender girls competing in high school sports and to provide gender-affirming care. White House officials called the new law “non-American” and said it was designed to discriminate against families and children based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Mr. Biden’s executive order is aimed directly at so-called conversion therapy. This is a distrustful therapy that doctors mistakenly claim that treatment can adjust a person’s gender identity and sexual orientation.
At a ceremony in the East Room, full of LGBTQ supporters, Mr Biden said he was moved to take action to prevent what he called a “hate attack” by Republican governors and parliament across the country. ..
About becoming transgender in the United States
“My order will use the full power of the federal government to prevent inhumane practices of conversion therapy,” Biden said with a big applause from his supporters. “This is the first time the federal government has led a coordinated response to this dangerous distrusted practice.”
In the Presidential Order, the President directs the Secretary of Health and the Secretary of State to lead efforts to limit exposure of American youth to procedures and endeavor to end them internationally. The order also directs the Federal Trade Commission to determine whether conversion therapy is a deceptive act that deserves a warning to consumers from government agencies.
According to White House officials, the order also aims to increase access to LGBTQ people’s suicide prevention and mental health resources.
For Mr. Biden, the executive order is another step in fulfilling the promises he made to the LGBTQ community in the 2020 presidential election.
At that time, he vowed to make his administration “look like America” by appointing members of the LGBTQ community to his staff and cabinet. He fulfilled his promise by publicly choosing gay Pete Butigeg as Secretary of Transportation and serving Karine Jean-Pierre as the first openly gay black woman to serve as a spokesman.
However, Mr Biden also vowed to take certain actions as president to promote equality. On his first day in office, he signed a presidential order instructing federal agencies to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity regarding health care, education, housing, employment, and more.
As the White House celebrates Pride Month, the announcement of a new executive order will come. Biden reiterated in a statement Wednesday that “Pride is back at the White House” at a similar event a year ago.
However, White House officials said the decision to issue a presidential order was also motivated by an increase in the number of anti-LGBTQ laws that were passed by the Republican Legislature and signed by the Republican Governor.
Biden called it the “super-MAGA agenda that attacks family and our freedom” and referred to the Make America Great Again slogan that former President Donald J. Trump disseminated during his first term in 2016.
Biden lamented a surge in attempts to limit or deprive LGBTQ people of their rights. He said he needed to fight anti-LGBTQ sentiment, despite the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage in 2015.
“No one knows as well as the people in this room. There’s still a lot to do. There’s a lot more to do,” he said. “The state of the country has introduced 300 discriminatory bills. In Texas, we are investigating parents who are knocking on the front door of harassment and raising transgender children. Chasing Mickey Mouse for God. “
The crowd laughed at President Disney’s reference. But Mr Biden concludes his remarks with a serious warning about the division of the country’s ideology and the political struggle he said.
“We are fighting for the soul of this country,” he said. “And that’s not an exaggeration. We’re fighting for the soul of the country. Well, I look around this room here, and everyone here today, that’s what we win. It’s a battle I know. “
He struck the podium: “We will win.”
