Photo by Scott Olson - Getty Images
Donald Trump
FLINT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 17: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump holds his first campaign event since a man carrying a rifle was arrested Sunday near where Trump was playing golf at his club in Florida, in the Dort Financial Center on September 17, 2024 in Flint, Michigan. Trump was playing an unscheduled game with real estate developer Steve Witkoff at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach when the man was spotted by security. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
On November 5, Americans will have a choice: they can vote for freedom and progress, or chaos and regression. If Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans win in November, our fundamental human rights will be ripped away. The far-right is obsessed with rolling back the freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community, and they will stop at nothing until LGBTQ+ Americans across the country are forced into silence.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Our Vice President, Kamala Harris, represents a new way forward. Under her leadership, we will build a country where we can all openly love who we love and be who we are without fear of violence or retaliation. Kamala Harris will create a future of hope where everyone can thrive.
I have spent my life fighting for the LGTBQ+ community. Growing up in rural Barron County, Wisconsin, I used to ride my bike to local county party meetings, and I was just 17 years old when I was first elected to the DNC in 2004. Even though I was young —\too young to even vote—I knew one thing to be true: Democrats were fighting for my right to love, my right to marry, and my right to be true to myself.
The same cannot be said for Donald Trump, whose record speaks for itself. While in office, he implemented the military’s transgender ban, appointed judges who oppose same-sex marriage, and imposed policies that harmed LGBTQ+ Americans. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is the most important election of our lives. We’re at an inflection point in the fight for equality, and we cannot sit by and watch as our rights are ripped away by Donald Trump and JD Vance.
That’s why I could not be more proud to support Vice President Harris as our next president. Along with Governor Tim Walz, they will work each and every day to protect, expand, and advance rights and opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community.
As vice president, Kamala Harris reversed a number of Trump-era policies that rolled back protections for the LGBTQ+ community. Under her leadership, transgender individuals in our Armed Forces are shielded from discrimination. And the freedom of marriage will always be protected. Tim Walz has also been a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ rights—even before he took public office. As a teacher, Governor Walz served as the advisor for his school’s Gay Straight Alliance. Once elected to Congress, he voted to end the harmful “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and was a co-sponsor for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have shown us who they are: Passionate fighters for the LGBTQ+ community.
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But Donald Trump has shown us who he is, too. If elected, Trump would continue his attack on the LGBTQ+ community and empower extreme Republican politicians to do the same. Trump and Vance would harm queer and trans kids, limit our bodily autonomy, and threaten our access to health care.
As President, Kamala Harris will fight to pass the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ+ Americans from discrimination in housing, health care, education, and government programs. She will uplift LGBTQ+ voices and make sure we have a seat at every table. She will fight for us, because that’s what she has done all her life—fight and work for the people.
We cannot allow a second Trump term. That’s why we have to do everything we can to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz this November. We deserve a president who will put America first. Someone who will take action to uplift and protect the LGBTQ+ community. A president who will build a brighter future for all of us. From now until Election Day, we need to do our part and fight for Kamala Harris as she has always fought for us. And on November 5, we need to vote for freedom, vote for hope, and vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Jason Rae is Secretary of the Democratic National Committee.
